Snapshots of Faith
by MoonstoneAndStarDust
Summary: Missing moments from my story Show a Little Faith, a next generation multi chapter that is Rose/Scorpius centered, but contains all the characters found in these chapters. You'd need to read that story to understand what's going on in these little snapshots. Enjoy!
1. Sorry - Erin

**A/N: This takes place between chapters 13 and 14 of _Show a Little Faith._ You'd need to read that to understand this. Enjoy!**

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 _\- Erin -_

She could hear his footsteps trailing behind her moments after she'd left the common room. What had she been thinking? This was the last thing she wanted to confront. She'd been running from this for what, a year now? Longer? Albus Potter had put her through more than she had ever bargained for, and half of it was her own damn fault.

Why had she kissed him? What could have possibly made her think that was a good idea? Letting her emotions get the best of her wasn't uncommon, but it was always the rash emotions that created a wake and left destruction. Those were the ones that showed up more often than the more tender and compassionate ones.

He was gaining on her. Picking up her pace, she rounded a corner and made her way up to the second floor. The sound of his footsteps grew closer.

"Erin!" she heard him call from behind her as she reached the top of the steps. As much as she wanted to run, she knew the Slytherin Seeker was fast enough to catch her. No matter how much of a lead she had on him.

Stopping on the landing at the top of the stairs, Erin let out a shaky breath and turned to face him. She did her best to put on a mask of innocence. If she was going to face him, she would do what she did best and bury it all as far down as she could.

He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hand resting on the railing as he watched her carefully. Eventually, he slowly made his way up the steps until he was standing in front of her. He stopped two steps bellow, bringing his face even with hers. He studied her for a moment, looking perplexed before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Wha-?"

"I'm sorry."

Al started at her interruption and gave her a questioning look. She'd panicked, but was thankful that she had stopped him from saying whatever it was he was going to say. She carried on with her apology that, under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be making. Anything to not confront this. To not let him have the first word.

"I'm sorry for everything. We've both been idiots, but I should know better than to antagonize you. And I should realize that most of the time you're only trying to be my friend."

His eyebrows rose and his mouth twitched with the hint of a smirk. "Most of the time?"

She slapped him on the arm and he let out a light chuckle, but it was still laced with tension. "You have good intentions all the time, does that sound better?" she offered.

He nodded but didn't say anything. They continued to just stand there facing each other. His silence made her nervous as he watched her in contemplation.

"I shouldn't have made that bet with your sister," she said, disrupting the quiet.

Al let out a regret-filled sigh. "And I shouldn't have tried to force my own opinions and ideas on you," he said sincerely. "So I'm sorry too."

She gave him a soft smile. "You're forgiven."

"So are you," he said, flashing her a genuine grin.

They simply looked at each other for a few moments, grinning like idiots as the tension melted away. She'd missed Al. More than she would ever feel comfortable admitting to him. It warmed her to know she had him back. But as they stood there, smiling and basking in the renewal of their friendship, it wasn't long before she realized how close they stood.

She could make out the slight stubble on his chin and upper lip that he hadn't shaved in a few days. She blushed slightly as she remembered feeling it as she kissed him. The green eyes that he had inherited from his father were speckled with a light brown. She had never noticed that before. And those eyes were rapidly moving over her face - studying her. She was so tempted to just kiss him again. But she'd made the first move, so wasn't it his turn?

As soon as she thought it, she realized he seemed like he was about to. Her pulse quickened as he went up one more step, looking down on her so that she had to tilt her head back to keep eye contact. She could feel his breath on her face - sharp and quick, as if his heart were racing. She contemplated letting him make the move. The move that would likely lead to something more between them. But if she evaded that now, they could go back to how things were. To their friendship. And she didn't trust that he wasn't in it for a laugh. Not yet.

Her fear got the better of her and she took a step back, smiling coyly at him. She tried to stamp out the disappointment she felt in herself.

"So, friends?" She stuck out her hand for him to shake, and he looked at her with a puzzled and slightly disappointed expression before gripping her hand in his. He let a smile grow on his face, and he continued to hold onto her hand as he joined her on the landing.

"Friends."

She smiled and dropped his hand, turning to continue up the next flight of stairs and onto the second floor. He walked beside her, his hands in his pockets as he kept throwing glances at her. They were heading towards the Gryffindor common room. At least she was.

"Planning on walking me to the tower?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Don't see why not. We haven't exactly spent a lot of time together lately. It'll be nice to catch up, don't you think?"

She nodded and smiled at him, but still felt the rather large elephant in the room. By the time they'd made it to the fourth floor, he hadn't said anything else. For wanting to catch up with her, he was doing a bang up job of saying a whole lot of nothing. She knew it still hung between them, no matter how much she wanted to run from it. Maybe they'd be able to talk like two normal human beings if she addressed what happened in the common room. She swallowed her nerves and clenched her fists to keep her hands from shaking.

"I'm sorry about before, too. I shouldn't have done that."

"Done what?" he asked. She rolled her eyes at him. Trust him to make this more difficult than it needed to be.

"You know what. I don't want it making things awkward, especially since it didn't mean anything."

She looked straight ahead as they walked, unwilling to make eye contact until he said something. But being the impatient person she was, she couldn't help but cast a sideways glance at him after the first fifteen seconds of silence. His brow was furrowed and we was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. She glanced away before looking back, not turning away this time. Catching her watching him, he relaxed his face and gave her a smile.

"Yeah, you're right. And don't worry about it. We can forget the whole thing, yeah?"

"Yeah."

She wore a smile, but she felt an ache in her chest. It was possible that she just missed her shot at something more with him, but were they really ready for that? Would they ever be? He seemed to brush it aside very quickly once she'd given him an out. He'd taken it willingly.

"How's training going?" she asked, determined for things to return to normal.

"Not bad. We have a new keeper and he'll work out alright. He's only a third year so he's got time."

By the look on his face and the enthusiasm with which he spoke, she knew she'd picked the right topic. He now seemed perfectly at ease. They continued talking about Quidditch and eventually made their way to topics like classes and family. When Erin made a comment about going through her great-grandmother's things, Al quickly changed the subject. This struck her as odd, but she merely brushed it off and followed the direction he was taking the conversation. By the time they reached the Gryffindor common room, they were in an intense discussion about their mixed feelings for Muggle Studies.

"He's a great bloke and a brilliant professor," Al was saying. "But I wish he hadn't assigned us a bloody big book to read. We've got enough to get on with as it is this year, what with N.E.W.T.s and all."

"True, but I'm rather liking it so far. It's a little slow in parts, but the characters are so rich, you know?"

Al gave her a bemused smile as they stopped in front of the fat lady. "I suppose so. And I guess we could learn a thing or two from them as well, yeah?"

"Probably," Erin said with a chuckle. In an effort to avoid another awkward silence, she quickly gave him a small wave, gave the Fat Lady the password, and disappeared into the common room.

Al stood there for a few moments, contemplating everything that had just happened. He'd pushed her so much lately, and he wasn't keen on doing it again. Especially if it meant he might lose her for good. But he would be lying if he said he didn't want things to change.

He should have gone ahead and kissed her on the landing. Why did he second guess himself? This night could have ended so different if he weren't such a bloody coward. Was he happy they were friends again? Absolutely. He wouldn't change that for the world. But did he want more? He'd been skirting around the idea for a while, in denial of what he might feel. There was no turning back now - he was falling for one of his oldest and best friends.

He ran his hands through his hair and sighed before heading off towards his own common room. He could live with the friendship for now. In fact, he even preferred it at the moment. She still hadn't come to turns with her great-grandmother's passing. And they had a lot on their plates as seventh years. Things could stay as they were. The rest would come when it would. If it ever did.

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 **A/N: I know I swapped POVs at the end, but I'm choosing to go with it :)**

 **Hope you enjoyed! If there are any other snapshots you'd like to see from other parts of the story, let me know!**


	2. Brave - Alice

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith:_ Chapter 20 - _Just a taste will do._**

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 _-Alice-_

It felt strange to be on the castle grounds. She'd been coming up to Hogwarts at least once a week to have lunch with her father and sister since term started, but there was a difference between walking into the Great Hall, and roaming around the corridors at night. Alice had been a prefect, so her late night wanderings had never really been about breaking rules. She'd still enjoyed them just the same. There was something about the castle at night that was peaceful to her. The quiet and the stillness that settled in when most of the students were in bed and the paintings had drifted off to sleep was a familiar comfort to Alice.

She hadn't expect to stick around for the party that night. Her goal had been to simply do her job and then spend the evening with a good book and a cup of tea, maybe helping out at the inn if she was needed. As it turned out, she didn't find she'd minded all that much when Rose had invited her to stay. Sure, she'd be hanging around with her father and a bunch of kids, but at least Malcolm would be there.

Alice had enjoyed getting to know the new Muggle Studies professor. She remembered seeing him around when she was in Hogwarts since he'd been a prefect, but he'd been a seventh year when she was in fourth, so they'd never worked together. He'd hung around with Teddy Lupin, and since Victoire had hung around Teddy, Alice would occasionally hear his name mentioned. She still did, since he'd worked in the same department as her best friend until recently. But she'd still never officially met Malcolm Bray, until that day in The Three Broomsticks.

He'd started coming around at the beginning of term and she'd recognized him immediately. They'd only interacted on the occasion that she'd serve him a drink or some food, until Erin had introduced them. She was pleased that he'd remembered her, if only vaguely as the daughter of his Herbology professor. Over the past few weeks, he'd continued to come into the pub on the weekends, and they'd formed a sort of tentative friendship. It was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn't a coworker or a student. He was charming and funny and the conversation was easy. It hadn't been that hard to make the choice to spend the evening in his company at the school. Even if they were chaperoning her younger sister and her friends.

They stepped into the so far empty corridor roughly an hour into the party. Rose and Scorpius had scheduled it so that someone was patrolling the hallways each hour. It was quiet as they started making their way around the seventh floor.

"I'm glad you decided to stay," said Malcolm as they walked side by side down the cold corridor. "Rounds were always better in pairs."

He gave her a small smile, which she returned. "I never minded them much. It was the only time I ever went out after curfew."

"Really?" he said, sounding surprised. "No midnight excursions to the kitchen? No sneaking off to have a little fun in a broom cupboard?"

Alice blushed and nudged him with her elbow as he chuckled. "Don't make fun. I didn't like the idea of getting into trouble. Especially with my dad as a professor."

"I can understand that," said Malcolm, still looking amused, but she didn't get the sense he was mocking her. "I was the first of a Muggle family to go to Hogwarts. I wanted to leave a good impression and make sure I wasn't kicked out."

"And then your sister ended up being magical too," said Alice, recalling a conversation they'd had previously about his younger siblings. He nodded.

"Charlotte was the only one of the triplets that turned out to be a witch. It surprised me, actually. I always thought it would be all of them or none of them."

"Is she still close with her sisters?" asked Alice as they stopped to check an abandoned classroom. Malcolm gave an uncertain shrug as he closed the door and they continued down the corridor.

"I'm not really sure. They always seem to get along well during the holidays, but I can tell Charlotte's a bit left out at times."

"What about you?" Alice couldn't help but ask. "That's a bit of an age gap."

"Yeah, well, nothing really beats being the adored older brother," he said with a smile. "It would have been nice to have a brother of my own, though."

They made their way down to the sixth floor, a comfortable silence falling between them for a few minutes.

"Do you think having younger siblings helped you realize you wanted to teach?" asked Alice as they reached a broom cupboard, which was thankfully empty.

"It's possible," he said, his brow furrowed as he contemplated the idea. "It's a lot of pressure to have people looking up to you, and a lot of responsibility when you realize you're helping them shape their futures. I don't think there's anything else I'd rather do, though."

"Has it always been what you wanted to do?"

"I'm not sure about always," said Malcolm. "But I know it's what I want to do now. I was enjoying my work with the ministry, but as soon as McGonagall asked me about teaching, there was really no question."

Alice smiled. "Sounds like you found your dream."

Malcolm smiled back at her. "And what about you? Have you found yours?"

"I enjoy working at the inn," Alice said slowly while they made their way along the sixth floor. "I loved helping my mum at The Leaky Cauldron growing up. Working at the Ministry was never my cup of tea. It was all paperwork and protocols and I hated how impersonal it all was."

They turned the corner and found two students dressed in costumes coming out of an abandoned classroom. She watched as Malcolm gave them a stern talking to, took house points, and sent them back to their common rooms. It was hard not to notice that the students, though rightfully ashamed at being caught, truly seemed to respect Malcolm.

"You really have a way with them," she told him as they continued down the hall.

"They're good kids," he said with a shrug. "Most of them, at least." Alice chuckled as he grinned at her. "So, you didn't care for the monotony of a Ministry gig?"

"No," said Alice with a sigh. "I suppose there are other jobs within the ministry that aren't as dull as working in the transportation department. I know Victoire has loved working in Muggle relations. But I've never been the type to have career goals, as pathetic as that might sound."

She glanced sideways at him, and was thankful to just see him looking at her curiously, rather than in judgment. It encouraged her to continue.

"I just want a happy and content life. I don't need excitement or adventures. I want to have time to read and bake and maybe have a family one of these days. I guess I take after my mum in that way. She's always been so happy with what she has. She's also an exceptionally hard worker. All you Hufflepuffs are."

She gave him a teasing grin and he chuckled. "She's never taken anything for granted, and I'm not saying what she did was easy or what I'm doing is easy, but it's definitely not what the world likes to label as ambitious. It's probably contrary for a Ravenclaw to want a simple lifestyle."

"I think it's brave, actually," said Malcolm, and she looked at him in surprise. "You took a chance coming out here, giving up a stable job just because you felt unfulfilled in it. It takes courage to go after what you want, especially when you're not even positive what that is yet."

Alice didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't remember anyone calling her brave before. Smart, kind, and sensitive tended to be the go to descriptions. It wasn't until he gave her a small smile that she realized she'd been staring at him as they made their way back the way they'd come. Alice felt herself blushing and looked away, nervously clearing her throat. They were only required to go as far down as the sixth floor, and neither said anything as they headed back up to the seventh. The Room of Requirement was in view when she felt a hand on her arm. Her wide eyes met his nervous gaze, but he smiled at her.

"I'm really glad you decided to be brave, Alice."

She looked at him quizzically and he drew his hand away, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "You wouldn't be here with me right now if you hadn't."

Alice gave a nervous chuckle, ignoring the way his words made a light fluttering appear in her stomach. "Well, I would hate for you to have to patrol alone."

He smiled and took a step closer. "That would be a shame."

Unable to hold his gaze, Alice glanced down at her feet, clasping her hands behind her back so he wouldn't see her nervous fidgeting. She noted that she was close enough to the wall that her knuckles occasionally bumped up against it. This wasn't something she'd done in a long time; the nervous stomach, intense eye contact, and overall tension that occurred between a boy and a girl. Alice hadn't even given herself an opportunity to run from it for years, since she tended to not put herself in any situation where she wound up one on one with a handsome wizard. And Malcolm was definitely handsome. It wasn't just his physical features. He had such a warm and caring quality to him that made him even more attractive as a human being in general. Alice had felt more comfortable with him than she had around a man in a long time.

"Alice?"

Her eyes quickly snapped up to his, and she anxiously chewed her lip as she watched him expectantly. It eased her nerves a bit to see he was slightly on edge as well.

"If I were to come to the pub for dinner sometime this week, would you consider joining me?"

Alice gulped nervously, thinking she knew exactly what he meant, but not quite ready to admit it.

"I suppose so. I might be working though."

He gave a soft chuckle, relaxing a bit. "Alright, how about this. Are there any nights you're not working? Because I'd very much like to have dinner with you, if you're alright with that."

If possible, her eyes grew even wider. He was looking at her sincerely and uncertainly, and she could tell how much it would mean to him if she said yes. The idea terrified Alice to her bones. She'd closed herself off to the idea of letting anyone close to her for so long, that she wasn't sure she even knew how to do it anymore. But maybe she wanted to try to learn how.

"I'm off on Monday."

Relief visibly washed over him, and he smiled at her. She couldn't help but return it, even if she still felt unsure about the whole thing. Her mind so caught up in what she'd just gotten herself into, she almost didn't notice he'd taken a step closer. She gave a sharp intake of breath at his close proximity, though she found she didn't seem to mind it all that much. It was cold in the corridor, despite the fact that she was still wearing his jacket. His warmth was welcome as she heard him breathing heavily. She flattened her palm against the wall behind her for support as she tilted her head back and bravely looked up at him.

His eyes were searching her face as a small smile graced his lips. Tentatively, he reached up and pushed a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

"I'm really glad you decided to stick around tonight."

She smiled lightly, trying not to shake with nerves as his fingers brushed her cheek. "You mentioned that already."

A soft chuckle fell from his lips, and his eyes focused in on hers. "I reckon I meant it, then."

His hand was fully cupping her cheek now, and he glanced down as she subconsciously licked her lips. Slowly, almost as if he were concerned he'd frighten her away, he brought his face in close to hers, their noses bumping against each other. His eyelids were flickering, as if he couldn't decide between closing them or continuing to watch her closely. Trying to steady herself, Alice took a deep breath, letting it out through slightly parted lips, her breath hitting his face. A smile flickered across his handsome features, and he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. Though the kiss was short and the pressure was light, she felt it down to her toes. She had a moment to feel embarrassed by the audible gasp she let out, before he kissed her again, this time with a little more confidence, and Alice allowed herself to be swept up in it. She let herself forget about the fact that she hadn't kissed anyone in years, and that she and Malcolm hadn't even been on a proper date yet. She forgot they were supposed to be chaperoning students and keeping them from doing exactly what they were now. None of that seemed to matter as she pulled her hands out from behind her back and placed them on his chest as she kissed him back.

It was brilliant. The feel and the closeness of him felt so different than anything she'd experienced in so long that she didn't even recognize it. She let her arms slide up to his shoulders and then wrap around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. Through it all, his kisses were slow and tender, and she appreciated the fact that he wasn't pushing for too much too fast. She was just contemplating deepening the kiss even more, when the sound of a door slamming shut made her jump, and he pulled away from her.

Malcolm stepped back and glanced up and down the corridor, but saw no evidence of whatever had disturbed them. His presence no longer overwhelming Alice, the reality of what she'd just done came crashing down on her. She heard Malcolm give a light chuckle, and he said something she couldn't distinguish amidst the mess that was swirling through her mind. What was she doing? They barely knew each other. She wasn't the type of witch who just kissed boys in corridors, especially one who wasn't even her boyfriend. What all did she actually know about Malcolm Bray? What did he even know about her? It scared her how easily she'd been willing to lower her inhibitions, letting him not only get her to spend time with him, but to also agree to dinner and then allow him to kiss her. All of her defense mechanisms and the walls she so carefully built up over the last seven years immediately fell back into place. He asked her a question, but she didn't quite catch it as she snapped her eyes to his.

"What?" she said, still slightly breathless. Malcolm looked at her in concern, stepping closer.

"Are you alright?" he asked, reaching his hand up to caress her cheek once again. Before he could, she flinched and he snatched his hand back, concern and a bit of hurt on his face.

"I should go," said Alice, refusing to look at him and fiddling with the cuffs on his jacket.

"Alice-"

"This shouldn't have happened," she said. Quickly pulling off his jacket, she blindly handed it to him before shoving past him and heading towards the stairs that led to the sixth floor.

"Alice, wait. What's-"

She stopped at the top of the stairs, turning suddenly to face him. He hadn't moved from where he'd stumbled back as she pushed past him, his face a mask of confusion and disappointment. He looked so innocent, watching her and hoping for some type of explanation for her abrupt cold shoulder. If she wasn't careful, she'd let his warm brown eyes pull her right back in until she forgot all about her doubts to the point where she would completely stop second guessing him. But she wouldn't let him do that.

She gave him as indifferent of a look as she could, then said, "I'm sorry," before turning and hurrying down the stairs, back to a life void of vulnerability that she'd so carefully built for herself.

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 **A/N: We will hear from Malcolm next :)**


	3. However - Malcolm

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 23: _Try to see it my way_**

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- _Malcolm-_

He went to The Three Broomsticks that night anyway, hoping she might show. Malcolm couldn't understand what had happened that had caused Alice to so quickly close herself off from him and say it had all been a mistake. He strongly disagreed with that assumption.

Alice had been a bit of a surprise to him, but definitely not an unpleasant one. When he'd first started frequenting The Three Broomsticks, it was hard not to notice to pretty brunette witch that ran the place. It had been easy to deduce that she was the one in charge based solely on how well she interacted with the customers and the confidence and respect with which she treated the other employees. There was something familiar about her as well, and he hadn't been able to put his finger on it till his conversation with Rose and subsequent introduction to Alice.

She had been rather timid in school, from what little he could remember of her. Then again, she was only a fourth year when he'd been in seventh. There weren't many students that age who wouldn't be a little intimidated by a seventh year prefect. She still had a rather reserved demeanor, and he found he liked that about her.

As he continued to get to know her, it wasn't that long before he was quite taken with Alice. He found her incredibly easy to talk to. She listened well, and asked good questions. She hadn't talked much about herself, but Malcolm had seen her start to open up more the past few times he'd seen her.

Their time at the Halloween Party had been an unexpected opportunity. Malcolm had entertained the idea of making an effort to deliberately spend time with Alice, rather than just running into her at the pub, but hadn't acted on it. It hadn't been his intent to ask her to have dinner with him, at least not yet. He realized they hadn't known each other very long, and while he liked her, he had a feeling she wouldn't be the type to want to rush into things.

He'd been proven right when he not only went for it and asked her out against his previous designs, but had somehow decided that kissing her would be a good idea as well. Relief had washed over him when she'd said yes, and then once again when she hadn't immediately pushed him away and actually kissed him back. Of course it had all gone a little sour after that, and he didn't fully understand why. While he could see that it was a little fast, the cold shoulder was unexpected. He had hoped that she'd maybe still decide to join him for dinner, but she never showed.

It was frustrating to Malcolm. They'd become friends, and even if she didn't want it to become something more, he didn't fancy losing one of the only friends he'd been able to make since he'd started teaching. Not that the other teachers weren't perfectly lovely, but they all had at least a decade on him. He enjoyed spending time with someone who'd at least been at Hogwarts at the same time he had. Maybe they could patch things up to the point where they could be friends if she wasn't interested in anything more.

It had been two weeks, and he'd seen her at the pub a few times, but she'd refused to approach him. Malcolm didn't want to be pushy, but he did want answers and the opportunity to make right whatever had gone wrong. So he found himself standing outside her door, trying very hard to calm his nerves as he raised a hand and knocked. There was the sound of movement on the other side of the door, and then a rather frazzled looking Alice was standing in front of him. Despite the fact that she was dressed rather shabby and her hair had most likely not even been brushed yet, he couldn't help but smile, even as her eyes widened in shock.

"Malcolm," said Alice, her hand going to her chest as if he'd given her a fright. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," he began, suddenly nervous now that he actually had to do some talking. Part of him thought she might scream in terror and slam the door in his face, so he hadn't really planned this far. "I wanted to talk to you, but you've been doing a rather bang up job of avoiding me."

She looked down at her feet, her hand going to her hair in an attempt to calm it. "Most people would get the hint."

Malcolm let out a heavy sigh. "Look, I get that it was a little fast and it probably shouldn't have happened, but can we at least talk about it?"

Her eyes searched his for a moment, before she stepped back and gestured him inside. It was exactly what he imagined her flat would be like; warm and friendly, yet organized exquisitely, save for the things scattered on her coffee table. He took off his coat and hung it on a rack by the door as she moved past him to sit on her couch.

"You can sit, if you like," said Alice. He moved to the chair by the fire, thinking that was a safer option than sitting next to her on the couch. She had pulled her legs up so they were crossed under her as her hands struggled to pull her hair back.

"I'm sorry if I made things awkward between us," Malcolm started, thinking it safest to start with an apology. "That wasn't what I wanted to happen."

Alice dropped her hands to her side after finally managing to secure her hair in a knot on the top of her head. She started picking at a loose thread on the sofa cushion. "I wasn't ready for that."

"I know," he said. "I gathered that. And I realize it was a little fast. I'd never want to make you feel uncomfortable, so I'm sorry if I did."

She gave him a small smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's alright. I didn't exactly throw a curse at you, did I?"

He smiled a little as well. "So, you didn't mind it?"

Her eyes shifted away from his and she propped her knees up in front of her, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I'm just not ready for that."

"Look," said Malcolm, leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs as he clasped his hands in front of him. He kept his gaze on the ground. "I can understand and respect that. We can keep things platonic."

He looked up in time to see her visibly relax some at these words, but he couldn't leave it at that.

"However," Malcolm continued, his eyes boring into hers as she met his gaze. "I feel it only right that you know-"

He was interrupted by a rap on the door. Alice jumped in surprise and Malcolm froze.

"Are you expecting someone?" he asked quietly. She shook her head, quickly standing to go look through a crack between the curtains that hung in the window next to the door.

"Shit! It's Erin and Rose."

Malcolm was standing now, and Alice rushed over to him. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him across the room with more strength than he'd been expecting.

"You have to hide. They can't know you're here. I'll never hear the end of it otherwise."

She flung open a door and shoved him into a room. He opened his mouth to ask a question that he hadn't even fully formed in his head yet, when she cut him off as another knock sounded.

"Don't move, and don't say a word." And with that, the door snapped shut in his face.

For a few minutes, he stood there listening, and heard the familiar voices of two of his students. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, and soon began to take in his surroundings.

Looking around, he realized he was in Alice's bedroom. There was a queen size bed in the corner with a handmade quilt thrown over it. Most of the surfaces in the room were relatively clean, but there was a glass of water on the nightstand and a book lying on the bed. It wasn't quite made, which led him to believe she'd been in here reading when he showed up. Her wardrobe was open, and he stepped closer when he saw pictures and posters pinned up on the inside of the door. There was one of her and her siblings on what looked like Christmas morning a handful of years ago. Another one had her whole family in it, including a grandmother. There were a few of her and Victoire as well. What really made him smile, were her N.E.W.T. results that were taped up next to her Hogwarts graduation certificate. She might claim to not have any grand ambitions, but she took pride in her accomplishments.

He moved over to her dresser and saw a few more framed photos, some hair ties, and half a dozen books. Stepping closer to look at one of the pictures, he felt his foot connect with something on the floor. He looked down when he heard something spinning against the hardwood, and saw a hairbrush hidden halfway under the dresser as it spun in circles. Smiling to himself, he reached down and picked it up, thinking she'd probably been unable to find it that morning as he set it on the dresser. The more time he spent around this girl, the more he was taking a liking to her. She was simple in a way that wasn't dull. Uncomplicated, yet deep and incredibly smart.

The sound of movement reached his ears, and he got the impression people were walking around. They stopped and the tones in the voices changed too, the previous conversational lilts were now coming out rushed and intense. He still couldn't make out the words, but it almost sounded like an argument. Eventually the voices quieted down, and movement resumed. The sound of the door opening had him breathing a sigh of relief, that quickly changed into a sharp intake of breath when he heard Erin's words loud and clear.

"And see you in class, Professor Mac!"

The sound of laughter followed by the door slamming shut signaled their departure, but Malcolm waited for Alice to open the door to her bedroom before he judged it safe to come out.

Her cheeks were slightly pink as she stood back to let him exit the room.

"Sorry about that," said Alice. She closed her bedroom door before making her way to the kitchen. A quick wave of her wand sent the teacups that were sitting on the counter into the sink to be washed before she turned to face him.

"I hope they don't give you a hard time," said Alice apologetically. "I don't know how they figured out you were here, but you should also know that Rose saw us in the corridor the night of the Halloween party. The not so innocent part."

That definitely complicated things. If she wanted this to just ease back into a friendship with none the wiser, that would now be impossible. But that hadn't been what he wanted anyway.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. They haven't said anything yet, so they might leave it alone."

She nodded, refusing to meet his eyes as she chewed nervously on her lip and glanced around the room. "You should go," she finally said. "I have to get myself put together and do some inventory."

He nodded, and she moved to grab his coat as he followed her towards the door. Shrugging it on after she handed it to him, Malcolm summoned his courage.

"I want to be your friend, Alice," he said in a soft voice, and he was pleased to see her eyes meet his without the fear that had been in them earlier. "I've really enjoyed getting to know you. However," he began once again, and some of that fear returned to her eyes. "I think it's only right you know that I would very much like to see if this could be more than that."

Her only response was to stare at him with wide eyes, and he knew she wasn't going to give him anything else. At least not yet. He paused as he pulled open the door that led out into the cold, and stopped on the doorstep, giving her one last look of sincerity.

"I know what I felt on Halloween, and I'm willing to bet you do too, so I really hope you give this a chance. In the meantime, I'd consider it a privilege to be your friend."

There was a moment of hesitation, then she was nodding, and he gave her a small smile before walking out into the cold.


	4. Change - Erin

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ Chapter 23: _Try to see it my way_ , and is referenced by Al in Chapter 24, and Erin in Chapter 25.**

* * *

 _-Erin-_

"I can't believe you've corrupted me to the point of snogging in a broom closet," Erin grumbled as Al dragged her down a deserted corridor. He smirked over his shoulder at her.

"I take no credit for corrupting you, Longbottom. You've only ever done exactly what you want."

She rolled her eyes but chuckled all the same as they reached a broom closet and he threw open the door before ushering her inside. He quickly closed the door behind them and cast a locking charm as she lit her wand and set it high on one of the shelves.

As she turned back to face him, Erin assumed she wasn't the most appealing sight. Her chest was heaving from running through the castle, and her face was probably still red from the cold. Her hair was pulled half back but had partially come undone in their mad dash to ditch their friends and find a place to snog as quickly as possible. He hadn't explained why, and she wasn't entirely sure what brought on his desire to do so immediately, but she wasn't about to complain.

His eyes never leaving hers, Al shoved his wand in his back pocket and reached forward, gently tucking her hair behind her ear. She was stunned by the intensity of his gaze as he moved closer, backing her into the wall. He studied her face for a moment, his hand lightly resting on her cheek as he looked down at her, before ducking down and kissing her slowly and gently on the lips. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the simple gesture. He pulled away for a moment, and she could feel him breathing heavily before his lips met hers in another delicate embrace, but this time, he didn't immediately pull away.

Al had never kissed her like this before. No one had. It was warm and tender and, if she wasn't mistaken, adoring. He was savoring her, and he'd never really done that until this moment. His hand cupped the side of her face as he broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes - green seeking light blue. His other hand moved and gripped hers, lacing their fingers together and surprising her once again. He let out a breath of laughter at the look of astonishment she wore before he kissed her again, slow and sensual, as if memorizing the feel of her lips against his.

Erin reached out and grabbed the front of his jacket while simultaneously gripping his hand tighter. He smiled into the kiss before moving his mouth against hers, pulling at her lower lip in a way that made her dizzy. She wound her arm up around his neck and dropped his hand to do the same with the other one, pushing up onto her toes and pulling him close so he was pressed up against her. The hand that was on her cheek moved down around her back as his now free one slid between them and began to unbutton her coat while his tongue slipped out and teased her lower lip. She began to tug his jacket off his shoulders and he quickly let go of her to fling it off, breaking the kiss as well. Her coat now unbuttoned, he removed her scarf and started kissing up the side of her neck, his hands moving inside of her coat to caress her sides. She shivered. It wasn't anything he'd never done before, but the care with which he was lavishing her neck with kisses was new and exciting.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" she said breathlessly. Al chuckled against her skin, continuing to pepper it with kisses as he responded.

"Nothing. Just trying something new. For a change. That okay?"

Erin nodded as he continued. "Perfectly."

She grabbed the side of his face and brought it up to meet hers, kissing him with the same emotion she could swear she was feeling him express. His arms wound around her, still inside her coat, and he held her tightly. Feeling restricted, she pulled away for a moment and sunk down off her tiptoes to remove her coat, but quickly pulled him back in before it even hit the floor.

The thing was, they'd snogged on multiple occasions now, but it was always rushed and only about the physical side. That's all she ever let it be. This was different, and he was the one who was mixing things up. If she'd thought he was a good kisser before, it was nothing compared to what she was feeling now as he sunk even further into the embrace, if that were even possible.

"Al," she said, breaking the kiss briefly, but he quickly claimed her mouth once again, banishing all thought for a moment. She sighed as his tongue traced her lip, and her mouth opened willingly to his. He lightly flicked her tongue with his and she couldn't help but let out a moan as a shiver ran through her. His mouth moved against hers, so steadily and strong that she had to grip him tightly to stay upright.

She finally managed to pull away once more. "Al, wait."

He did this time, and she couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed by this even though she'd asked him to do it. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say, but he just grinned at her, shadows falling across his face in the ill lit room. She could still make out the color of his eyes.

"Hi," he said in a breathy voice, a teasing look gracing his flushed features. She let out a surprised laugh, feeling the tension of the heated moment fall away as she recalled how she'd acted earlier in the pub.

"Hi," she said back with a chuckle. "Did my ridiculous behavior earlier turn you on or something?"

He let out a laugh, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "No." He pecked her on the cheek. "It was more the comment-" he kissed her other cheek, "-about me being brave-" down her jaw, "-and selfless…" He kissed her neck before moving back up to look her in the eye. "And that you admire me."

She blushed under his gaze. "Yes, well. I was generalizing."

He chuckled and loosened his hold on her, stepping back slightly but not fully letting go. "Still. I didn't realize you felt that way."

She shrugged as if it weren't that big of a deal, looking straight ahead at his chest and smoothing her hands over his Puddlemere T-shirt. "Maybe I haven't always, but you sort of have to be okay with it when your brother and your best friend decide they'd like to spend their days protecting the wizarding world."

He rubbed his hands up and down her back, causing her to look up at him uncertainly, taken aback once again by another tender gesture.

"Ethan will be okay," he said with conviction. "I will too."

"I know," she said with a smile. "You're forgetting I'd be lost in Defense Against the Dark Arts without you, so I know first hand how qualified you are."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead before he reluctantly pulled away, picking her coat up off the floor and handing it to her.

"Goodness, you're just full of surprises, aren't you," she said as she took it and put it back on, shoving her scarf in her pocket. He just shrugged as he put his jacket on as well. She reached up to retrieve her wand and he had his out of his pocket and unlocking the door by the time she turned around. He cautiously peeked his head out before opening the door all the way. Reaching back, he grabbed her hand so she followed him out. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he linked his fingers through hers and they continued down the hall. This was unfamiliar territory. The only real affection they'd shown was either teasing, platonic or… well… snogging. They didn't hold hands or cuddle by the fire. It made her nervous, but the idea of saying something and potentially scaring him off made her even more apprehensive.

"It's crazy we only have a month till we get to go home for the holiday," he finally said after they'd made it up a few floors in silence. "Our last Christmas at Hogwarts."

"Crazy to think you'll be eighteen in a week," she countered. He laughed.

"That is crazy. Blimey, I'll have been of age for a year. How weird is that?"

"Not as weird as Teddy and Victoire finally getting married," she said in excitement. He laughed as she grinned brilliantly.

"It only really feels strange to me because it feels like this should have happened ages ago," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"True," she agreed, and they lapsed into silence once again.

To be honest, she hadn't let herself think about Christmas much. It would be the first holiday without her Great-Gram there, and she wasn't looking forward to how difficult that would be. She hadn't talked to anyone about it, and she hadn't talked about her at all for a while now. Ever since Al had pushed her on the subject earlier in the term, he'd steered clear of doing so again. She was thankful for that, but a part of her wondered if he knew she was doing okay. She'd never told him about the night she'd finally broken down at the docks with Rose, or about how she'd gone through her grandmothers things with her father, or how she'd had a long talk with her sister. She didn't expect Rose had told him any of this either, not being the type to relay information that wasn't hers to give. So she was surprised when he actually said something.

"Are you doing alright? With the holiday coming up. I know it might be difficult for you this year."

She looked at him in surprise and nodded, but he was looking straight ahead. He appeared nervous and hesitant about bringing it up.

"Yes, I'm doing alright," she said as strongly as she could. All her suspicions about how much he knew were confirmed when he turned his head sharply and looked at her.

"Yeah?" he asked, hardly daring to believe that she wasn't biting his head off.

"I've been doing alright for a while now," she said with a shrug. "You just never asked."

"Erin, you can always talk to me. Just because I don't ask doesn't mean I don't want to know."

He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but it hadn't always been. Not to her at least. She simply nodded, smiling warmly at him.

"And based on the reception I got the last few times it came up, I had every right to be terrified to bring it up again."

He shot her a teasing grin and she reached across with the hand that wasn't holding his to slug him in the shoulder. "Prat. You're lucky I forgave you."

"You're lucky I forgave _you_ ," he countered. "Making a bet with my sister and almost ruining our friendship in the process." He shook his head in shame. "I don't know what came over me to actually let you back into my life."

Giving him a mischievous grin, she tugged on his hand that was still linked with hers and they stopped. They'd reached the Gryffindor common room and the Fat Lady was dozing in her frame.

"I can remind you, if you'd like?" She took a step closer and his eyebrow shot up in interest, returning her smirk.

"It might be helpful," he said simply. She could hardly believe it when she heard herself giggle and closed the distance between them, kissing him fiercely and with pure joy. She pulled away a moment later to see him looking a little dazed.

"See you later, Potter," she said with a wink, giving him a light slap on the cheek - reminiscent of, but much softer than the one she'd given him the first time she'd kissed him. He gave an amused roll of his eyes as she turned and walked the remaining few feet to her common room. The Fat Lady had woken up and looked at her in displeasure as she gave the password.

"Erin?"

She turned to look at Al, who was still standing there, no longer dazed, but definitely uncertain.

"Yeah?" she asked, holding her breath in both the metaphorical and physical sense. He stared at her a moment longer before making up his mind.

"Can you help me with the Herbology homework tomorrow?"

She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face as she nodded, giving him a small smile. He smiled back. "Thanks, you're the best."

She shrugged as he waved and turned to walk away. "That's what friends are for," she released with a sigh, turning to head into her common room. He hadn't heard her, she knew that. But she also knew that if what had just happened between them - the intimacy and the undeniable emotion of it all - wasn't enough to get him to actually address what was going on between them, she wasn't sure what would.


	5. Charm - Lysander

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith:_ Chapter 30 - _Faithful friends who are dear to us_**

* * *

\- Lysander -

The night had started normal. He had no reason to believe anything out of the ordinary would happen. He'd closed up the shop with Fred around four in the afternoon. Rather than staying open for any last minute shoppers, George had always insisted that the holidays were for family. Lysander wasn't complaining about that at all.

He and Fred headed to the party together, excited to test their new product. They'd gotten the idea when it came up that James and Violet had been caught under the mistletoe at the last Christmas party. Violet had made some comment about how she might have seriously considered kissing him if she thought he actually wanted her too, rather than assuming he was just taking the mickey.

Lysander had researched the charms and had come up with a combination that he thought might work for their purposes. There had been a few variations and failed attempts, but they hadn't really been able to test it fully. They came up with a version of enchanted mistletoe that simply appeared whenever two people who were attracted to each other stood together, and had tested it on Lorcan and Roxanne. It had worked perfectly. But if they were going to test something at the Christmas Eve party, they didn't exactly want to give all of the parents and the couples an excuse to snog each other all night. They could still market that one, but they had to come up with something else. Something better.

They threw in physical touch, and then decided that it should be two people who'd never actually kissed before. Fred and Lysander saw it as an opportunity to stir the pot a bit. So he'd charmed half a dozen sprigs of mistletoe that they were hoping would appear whenever two people who had repressed feelings for each other came into physical contact. Lysander even thought that it would continue to pop up whenever those two people were near each other throughout the night, even if they didn't touch each other again. The mistletoe would remember.

It was pretty impressive charm work, if he did say so himself. Fred was ecstatic and couldn't wait to test it out. All they had to do was pull the mistletoe out of its box, tap it with a wand, and say _noditium._ It would disappear, only to show up at the appropriate time within a fifty yard radius of where the charm was cast.

Once they'd arrived at the party, they'd snuck into Harry's office and performed the charm on the mistletoe. All six now vanished, they returned to the party, anxiously awaiting for one to appear. With all their friends under the same roof, there was no way someone wasn't harboring secret feelings for someone else. Here's hoping there was a case of mutual affection.

"Lysander, dear," called a dreamy voice as they made their way back out to the living room. He made his way towards his mother, who was standing by the fireplace with Fleur.

"I was just telling Fleur about the trip you and your brother took with your father. Tell her about the Graphorns you saw when you were camping in the mountains."

Lysander gave his mother an indulgent smile. "Are you sure Mrs. Weasley wants to hear about all that? It's rather dull."

Luna looked at Fleur expectantly, who seemed slightly uncomfortable with the open look on Luna's face. Fleur gave Lysander a look that told him she was prepared to listen.

"We just saw a few of them from a distance," Lysander explained. "Dad wanted a closer look, but the mountain range was a little too treacherous. We almost had to Confund him to talk him out of it."

He chuckled lightly, and Fleur gave him an amused smile.

"Rolf and I used to be quite the daredevils when we were younger," said Luna in a far off voice. "This one time we jumped into a river and swam across it at night so we could have a better look at a Mooncalf mid dance. They only come out during the full moon, you know."

Luna continued to talk to Fleur, who sipped her wine as she did her best to indulge Luna. Lysander gave Fleur a small smile before slipping away. He adored his mother, but he understood why she was too much to handle for some people. Especially someone as tight laced as Fleur Weasley. He passed Bill, who gave him an amused smile as he made his way to rescue his wife.

Lysander scanned the room and saw Fred greeting the Wood family who had just arrived. Fred shook hands with Oliver, before kissing Katie on the cheek, slapping Caleb on the back, and pulling Eva into a one armed hug.

Damn. Fred would be disappointed. Yep, he was looking above his head. That was shit luck. Lysander was the only person that knew about the secret crush Fred harbored on Eva, as far as he knew. And he was only aware because he was around Fred all the time and had taken a rather educated guess.

He and Fred hadn't actually been able to spend a lot of time with Eva since she'd graduated Hogwarts. She was busy training with the Kenmare Kestrals on their reserve team and wasn't able to floo or apparate too and from the pitch since you had to cross the channel to get there, which meant she had taken up residence in Ireland at their training facility. She'd protkey home every once in a while, but Lysander hadn't seen her since they'd celebrated Dom's birthday in November.

With Eva's absence and Ethan's busy schedule with Auror training, that meant the frequent presence of Dominique Weasley, who was currently only working part time at The Leaky Cauldron. She was close with Roxanne and Violet, and she'd always gotten along well with the boys too. Lysander found he didn't mind the continued presence of another witch, especially one as full of life as Dom. She had an infectious and mischievous energy to her that had landed himself and Fred in a couple of sticky situations over the past few months. He'd never known her to be a troublemaker when they were in school, but he supposed that job was very much taken up by himself and Fred and James. Lysander had heard rumors from Violet that Dom and Eva had actually stepped up in the prank department in order to give Ethan a little bit of trouble as Head Boy.

He saw proof of this himself when Dom had managed to get him and Fred kicked out of Puddlemere's last home match, much to James' displeasure, when she'd charmed bad words to appear on their foreheads whenever they spoke. A few staff members had to remove them when some nearby mothers with young children had lodged a complaint. Dom had found them after the game, laughing hysterically as they'd still been unable to reverse the charm. Being pranksters themselves, they were almost more impressed than anything. It had actually given them an idea for a product for the shop that they were still in the process of testing. They'd taken to consulting her on some other projects a few times since then as well.

They hadn't mentioned the mistletoe, though. He wanted to figure that one out himself. As much as Lysander loved working with Fred and appreciated Dom's help on occasion, he wanted some things to be his own. Even if it was something as simple as enchanted mistletoe. You had to start somewhere, right?

"Anything yet?" Fred asked as he approached him. The party had been going on for about an hour now, and he'd seen nothing. Louis had only seemed to interact with his female cousins all night, although he did talk to Eva at one point. She'd given him a shove in a sister-like fashion, and Ly had breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened. That could have been disastrous. Dom, Ethan, and Eva had interacted and hugged each other in greeting, but nothing there either. He'd always wondered about that, and was thankful to see they all really were just friends. When Bobby and Lucy bumped into each other while trying to coralle his siblings and nothing happened, he was surprised. Then he'd remembered he'd set the age limit at sixteen, and Lucy wasn't there yet. He wasn't even sure if Bobby was. That also meant Lily wouldn't be affected either.

He was beginning to think it would never happen when they got roped into a conversation with Rose about the products they were developing for the shop.

"We're actually testing some tonight," he'd told her excitedly, trying to stay optimistic, but then James had approached and his attention was drawn to Al and Erin. He'd immediately been disheartened when he saw Erin rest her hand on Al's leg and nothing happened, but then Rose had explained. Another opportunity lost. It was beginning to look like there were no two people in the house who secretly wanted to snog each other.

He felt a hand on his arm, and smiled when he saw Dom standing at his shoulder.

"Have you lot seen Lou?" she asked. Lysander glanced around the room but shook his head when he failed to spot him, the others doing the same. She huffed and let go of his arm, turning to go.

"Wait! You can't leave!"

Everyone looked at Fred like he'd lost it. His eyes were wide and his smile was comically large as he looked between Dom and Lysander. She gave Fred a suspicious look.

"Why?"

Lysander could only ever remember seeing Fred that giddy when he got something right on a prank or experiment.

"Because you two are under the mistletoe."

Lysander's head snapped back so fast he doubted anyone actually saw it move. There was the proof right above him. One of the sprigs of mistletoe that he had charmed earlier was currently hovering over himself and Dominique Weasley.

Okay, so something was definitely wrong with the charms, right?

"Did you stash those all over the house again?" Dominique asked her cousin with a roll of her eyes, apparently unfazed by the situation.

"Not exactly," Fred said with a grin. Lysander glared at him, his face turning red as the implications of what had just happened started to sink in. Fred better not say anything if he wanted to survive the night.

"Go on," Fred encouraged them. Now he was really pressing his luck. Dom gave a snort in amusement, and Lysander risked looking at her, but she was focused on Fred.

"Just because there's mistletoe, Fred, doesn't mean I _have_ to kiss him."

She turned and walked away, not even glancing at Lysander, her hips swinging so that her black dress swayed back and forth and fluttered around her knees.

Fred was laughing, and Lysander glared at him once again.

"This isn't funny," he snapped, but Fred just laughed harder.

"Oh, but it very much is. Did you even know?"

Lysander felt himself turning pinker at this. "Not exactly," he mumbled, his arms crossed as he looked down at his feet. This seemed to tickle Fred even more as he practically cackled at his best friend.

Not exactly? What the hell did that mean? Some deep undiscovered part of him wanted to kiss Dominique? There was no way.

Well, there was, if he were honest. She was a girl and he was a bloke. But she was his friend. He was _her_ friend. There'd never been anything like that between them. Did he think she was pretty? Sure he did. Beautiful, in fact. Did he enjoy spending time with her and take pleasure in her company? Absolutely. Did he find her smart, and funny, and challenging, and all around brilliant? Yeah, but that didn't mean he wanted to snog her, did it?

"What're we missing?" James asked. Fred was able to calm himself down enough to answer, and Lysander braced himself for the conversation that was bound to be uncomfortable for him.

"Remember how we said we were testing products tonight?"

James and Rose nodded.

"Well," Fred continued, giving Lysander a very pleased grin. "We charmed the mistletoe so that it only pops up over two people who would like to, shall we say, take advantage of the situation? And have yet to do so?"

James' eyes widened as a grin broke out across his face. "No way."

"Oh yes," Fred said with a delighted grin. "That's how Ly knew Al and Erin must have snogged already. They've got to have made physical contact at some point in the evening, so think of it as a suggestive nudge. I'm guessing you hugged her earlier or something?" said Fred, turning his attention back to Lysander.

"She grabbed my arm to steady herself just now," Ly muttered, refusing to look at any of them and thinking back to the moment her hand touched his arm. It had felt warm and familiar. It wasn't like his heart had started racing or an entire future with her had flashed before his eyes the second she'd touched him. "It doesn't mean it's actually working properly," Lysander tried to reason, with himself and his friends. "It could have been a malfunction."

"You did most of the charm work yourself so you should know better than anyone just how well they work," Fred argued back. He had a point. If Lysander wanted to get out of this, he had to admit he'd done something wrong. And he felt certain he'd gotten it right.

"You could always test it," Rose suggested innocently. "She's right over there. Go stand next to her."

That was the last thing he wanted to do. It would most likely ruin their friendship if he walked up to Dominique and snogged her right now. Knowing her, she'd probably slap him, and not stop there. He'd be walking out of here significantly less male.

Thankfully, Lysander didn't have to respond as Harry called everyone's attention for toasts. He could think about this later, maybe check his charm work. Because even if he didn't want to be wrong, he also had to be sure he was right.

Once Teddy had finished his toast, Lysander made sure to steer clear of Dominique. If the mistletoe were to appear again and she were to notice, she'd probably accuse him of trying to seduce her, and then get all irate about it. Either that or she'd think it was some kind of prank. He didn't want to have to face her questioning either way. He didn't fancy trying to talk to her when his mind was still trying to wrap itself around what had happened.

There were a few times where it looked like she was about to approach him, but he'd managed to sneak away each time before she got too close. Deciding he might as well do what he could to keep it from happening again, he made his way back into Harry's office where they'd left the boxes for the mistletoe. He tapped each box with his wand, and the mistletoes magically appeared inside of them. They wouldn't be popping up again.

He tucked the boxes up on a high shelf so no one would be likely to stumble across them and went back out to the party.

"Lysander, would you do me a favor?"

He was stopped by a rather frustrated looking Mrs. Potter. "A lot of the drinks need to be restocked in the dining room and I can't find either of my idiotic sons. Would you mind? Everything should be in the pantry."

He nodded and she gave him a grateful smile before hurriedly moving away. Lysander made his way through the crowd of people, grateful to have something to do. He entered the kitchen, enjoying the peace and quiet of it. Moving to the pantry, he began to search the shelves. He heard the sound of the party grow louder for a moment before the sound was deadened again, signalling someone had entered the kitchen from the living room. Lysander grabbed one of the crates of butterbeer and moved back out into the kitchen as he heard whoever his company was opening a cabinet.

Dom was standing on her tiptoes, grabbing a drinking glass from a shelf. Her black dress looked shorter like that, revealing more of the back of her thighs. The bodice was rather simple, much like Dom. It if it wasn't for the skirt, it would almost look like she was wearing a fitted t-shirt. She wore no jewelry, and if she had any makeup on, he couldn't tell. Not that she ever needed it. She was plenty beautiful on her own.

Looking over her shoulder as he came out of the pantry, she gave him a small smile, sinking back onto her feet and moving to fill her glass with water. Lysander moved forward and set the crate on the island in the middle of the kitchen. He'd never been nervous around girls, so why did he suddenly find himself without the ability to get an intelligent thought to go from his brain to his mouth?

"Thirsty?"

Really? That was the best he could come up with? She turned around so her back rested against the counter, nodding as she took a few big gulps before speaking. "There seems to be a lack of beverages in the dining room."

"Yeah," he said with an apologetic smile, nodding towards the crate that his hands were still resting on. She didn't say anything else, just stared blankly ahead, her mind clearly somewhere else. Deciding it best to do something useful rather than stand there awkwardly, he picked up the crate and started to head towards the dining room.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

He stopped, slightly surprised at the question as he turned around. "What?"

She gave him a look that clearly said she wouldn't take any shit right now. He sighed and moved forward, setting the butterbeer crate back on the counter that separated them and facing her. Lysander didn't say anything, though. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to acknowledge what had been bothering him either. To be honest, he hadn't realized he'd been that obvious about avoiding her.

"Is it because of earlier?" asked Dom, her manner straightforward.

"Earlier?"

What was with the one word questions? Couldn't he string together at least two words at a time?

"Yes, Ly. Earlier," she said forcefully. "I'd hoped we were good enough friends by now that we could talk about things if they ever became uncomfortable."

"We are," he assured her. "We can. I just didn't want to make you feel even more uncomfortable."

She sighed, moving so she stood at the end of the island, her arms straight and her hands braced against it with her back towards the pantry.

"Did I upset you?" she asked. "I didn't mean to make you think…"

He quirked a brow at her in question, but she was staring at the crate of butterbeer in front of her. "Make me think what?"

"I was kind of harsh, wasn't I?" she asked, almost as if it were no big deal, but there was a nervous quality to her demeanor. "I made it sound like it was the last thing in the world I wanted to do."

This was a different Dominique than he was used to. She seemed uncertain, when she was normally so sure of herself. It allowed him to refocus. He turned to face her, resting his hand on the table between hers and looking down at her. Dom's eyes met his, but she didn't raise her head.

"What the fuck's going on? Have you finally gone round the twist?"

She fully looked up at him now, a familiar sassy look on her face. "Fuck off. I'm being serious."

"So am I," he said with a smirk. She lifted a hand for a moment to smack him in the chest, before returning it to the table. "What were we talking about again?"

This got an eye roll from her. "You're a git, you know that?"

"I've been told."

"I'm trying to have a conversation and you insist on avoiding the issue."

"What issue?"

"The fucking incident with the mistletoe, idiot!"

He couldn't really believe she'd actually said it. Feeling anxious once again, he removed his hand from where it rested between hers and turned back so he was facing away from her.

"You don't need to worry about it. I'm sure it was just malfunctioning."

Shit.

"Malfunctioning? Was it something you and Fred were working on?"

Well, he might as well just tell her now. Idiot.

"Just me, really. We got the idea to actually charm the mistletoe this year so that it wasn't in a fixed place and would appear at random."

He's tried to say it as nonchalant as possible, and chanced a glance at her. She seemed intrigued.

"At random?"

Lysander grimaced. "Okay, not completely at random."

She waited for him to continue, but there was no way he was doing that willingly.

"Ly," she said in a warning tone. He sighed, turning to look at her again.

"I charmed them so that they'd only pop up over two people who've made physical contact. And wouldn't mind snogging each other. And have yet to do so."

He didn't feel like spelling it out for her any more than that, so he was thankful when her eyes widened and her face turned slightly pink, something Ly couldn't remember seeing happen before. It took a lot to make Dom feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.

"Oh," she said quietly. He watched as she chewed her lower lip, moving her hands so they were clasped on the edge of the surface in front of her as she leaned against it. "That's some pretty impressive charm work."

He felt pleased at the compliment, but only slightly. "Thanks, but I'm not sure it worked."

She shrugged. "Knowing you it probably did. You're better than you give yourself credit for."

She'd said it in the familiar friendly tone he was used to; complinetry, but making him feel like she was ribbing him. It made Lysander feel relieved that things weren't completely cocked up between them because of his previously undiscovered hormones. He gave an amused snort.

"Thanks, but wouldn't you rather it hadn't worked?"

She shrugged, looking straight at him with a hint of defiance and a bit of mirth in her eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"Well…" he said slowly, hoping this wasn't a trap. "You seem relatively okay with the fact that I wouldn't mind… you know..."

Dom gave a snort of amusement at how uncomfortable he was. Talking about his feelings wasn't something Lysander did well.

"I think you're only seeing one side of this," said Dom, her eyes boring into his as if willing him to understand. His brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at her. One side? What was that about? Was she saying she didn't care that he apparently wouldn't be opposed to snogging her? She was either out of her mind or…

It hit him like a freight train. He'd been so caught up in what this had revealed about himself, that he hadn't even given a thought to what it revealed about Dom. It had to be two people who were _both_ interested in each other. There was always the possibility he'd gotten the charm wrong so it only popped up if one of the parties were interested, but then the mistletoe would have appeared when Fred had hugged Eva. That really left only one conclusion, and the way Dominique was staring at him in a challenging and enticing way was just about all the confirmation he needed.

He barely even thought about moving before he was. His right arm swept forward and snaked around her waist as he moved around the corner of the counter, pulling her to him. He kissed her soundly, and the rush he thought he'd been missing when she'd touched him earlier was there instantly. His enthusiasm carried him forward so that he walked her across the kitchen until her back hit the pantry door, slamming it shut as he released her waist and rested his hands against it on either side of her head. He felt as well as heard her moan as he moved his mouth against hers. Lysander couldn't quite remember the last time he'd snogged someone, but he _did_ know it had never been this damn good.

She reached forward and gripped the front of his shirt in her hands as he pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, releasing it and pulling his mouth away from hers only to adjust the angle of his head. She was softer than he'd expected her to be, but her kisses were firm and demanding. It almost felt like a battle for dominance. One he'd most likely be happy to let her win if they carried on long enough. Unable to keep his hands off her anymore, he moved them into her hair, marveling at how soft it was as he ran it between his fingers and moved to press his body up against hers. As wonderful as it all felt already, he didn't plan on stopping there.

A loud bang sounded and he tore himself away before he could explore her more, looking around the room to try and identify what had caused the racket.

"Having fun?"

He whipped around and saw James standing in the doorway that led to the dining room, a smirk plastered on his face as Roxanne, Lorcan, Violet, Rose, and Al all looked on from behind him. Lysander blushed and cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say as Dom tried to untangle her hair. He felt a sense of satisfaction knowing he was the reason she was in such a state.

"Yeah," Lysander finally said breathlessly, looking at James and deciding to be bold. "Until you so rudely butted in."

Lysander continued to look at James in annoyance, a little too nervous to see how Dom had reacted to his words.

"So sorry about that. We needed to get in the pantry," James said with a cheeky grin. Lysander assumed James was now here to accomplish the work he'd been sent to do, and he was about to tell him there was already a crate out, but Dom's movement distracted him.

She pushed herself off the door, moving to stand next to Lysander. It surprised him how much he itched to reach out and touch her as she calmly stood at his side. James smirked and went into the pantry, retrieving a crate of butterbeer and a few bottles of firewhiskey.

"You can carry on," he said with a nod, and moved back into the dining room, the others disappearing with him. As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Dom buried her face in her hands and let out a groan.

Lysander had no clue what to do. Could he touch her now that they weren't snogging? Did she expect him to offer some sort of reassurance or say it was no big deal? It had been embarrassing to be barged in on like that, but that didn't mean he regretted it in the slightest.

Dom moved around him, making her way towards the sink where she'd set her glass of water earlier. She took a few sips before handing it to Lysander, who took a few drinks himself without much thought.

"Did you have any clue?" she asked. "Before tonight?"

He didn't need to ask what she was talking about, because he'd already asked himself the same thing. "I don't think so. You?"

She looked at him for a few minutes and he tensed up under her gaze in anticipation. She shook her head from side to side.

"Bloody fuck," he said, downing the rest of the water before filling the glass again and handing it back to her. She drank eagerly.

"I felt a little funny after the mistletoe popped up and I walked away," she said, sounding a little breathless after chugging the water. "Disappointed with myself almost. And then I felt like you were ignoring me and that bothered me even more and then when you explained everything...it just sort of clicked together."

He nodded, completely understanding what she meant. Now came the tough part. He could play it off like it was no big deal, or he could actually follow his gut and see where this could go, even if it scared the shit out of him.

"So, what do we do now?" he eventually asked, feeling proud that he wasn't running in fear. She shrugged, taking another drink of water before setting the glass down. Dom kept her gaze directed at the counter as she spoke.

"I'm not ready to jump into anything."

He studied her for a moment. She was still nervous, but she wasn't running away from whatever this was either. Dom had always been rather sure of herself. He liked that about her.

"Me either."

She met his eyes, letting out a breath and nodding. "Okay, what then? We can just ignore all this and go back to being friends, but I don't think I'll be able to forget what just happened."

"I don't think I'll _want_ to."

Lysander had spoken before he'd fully thought it through, but that didn't make it any less true. The honesty was worth it when she smiled at him.

"Let's just play it by ear, yeah?" he suggested, stepping closer to her so that they were both leaning against the sink and facing each other. "We can hang out, maybe experiment in the snogging department a little bit more?"

She actually giggled at this, and he found himself smiling brightly at her. "And if you play nicely, I may even be persuaded to take you out on a date one of these days."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, stepping forward and draping an arm across his shoulder and around his neck so that her hand tangled up into his hair. A shiver ran down his spine and his hands instinctively went to her waist as her other hand trailed up his bicep. It was amazing how natural it all felt.

"I guess I'll have to behave myself, then."

He chuckled, dipping his head closer as she tipped hers up. "Please don't. That would be bloody boring."

She laughed as his mouth descended on hers and he kissed her, hardly able to keep from laughing himself.


	6. Obviously - Lily

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 24 - _Always time for a good conversation_**

* * *

 _\- Lily -_

It had started to snow - the first one of the season. Lily loved the snow. It reminded her of so many memories she had as a child. Snowball fights with her brothers and cousins, Teddy helping her build a fort, and sledding down the hills at the Burrow. As she walked down the lane to Hogsmeade with Charlotte and Lucy, she couldn't help but feel warm despite the cold.

"So we go to Gladrags so I can find a dress and you can find shoes, and then head to the Three Broomsticks?" Charlotte asked, clarifying the plans they'd made the day before.

"I need to get something for Molly for Christmas and she's been talking about needing new gloves so that works for me," Lucy agreed.

"I actually already got the shoes taken care of," Lily explained. "My mum owled this morning and said she got them for me."

Charlotte nodded as they neared the center of town. "Well you can either come with us anyway or see what the boys are doing."

She gestured ahead of them to Louis, Hugo, Bobby, and Caleb, who were standing outside of Dervish and Bangs and appeared to be in some type of disagreement.

"Is there a reason you're all just standing about outside?" Lily asked as they reached them.

"Hugo needs to get something for his mum and insists someone help him, but none of us want to," Bobby informed them.

"Gift buying is difficult in general. And it's even worse when it's for a woman," Hugo grumbled.

"Lily could go with you," Lucy suggested, much to Lily's displeasure. Hugo was her best friend but she had no idea what her Aunt Hermione could possibly want either. Listening to Hugo continue to grumble wouldn't make for a pleasant trip sounded like it would be more of a chore than anything.

"I'm not sure I'd be much help," she said.

"Better help than any of them," Hugo said with a jerk of his head towards his three male friends.

"We're heading to Spintwitches," Louis said, gesturing to himself and Bobby. "And Caleb isn't allowed to come."

"Why not?" Lily asked with a chuckle, looking at the sixth year who stood beside her. He rolled his eyes.

"He hasn't gotten me a Christmas gift yet and insists I'll peak at what he's buying if I go with them."

"It's because you will," Louis countered. "Want to meet up at the Three Broomsticks after?"

They all agreed as Rose and Erin showed up, and Lily quickly suggested that Hugo go with them instead since Rose was the perfect person to help shop for her mother. Erin didn't seem too pleased with this, but then she was always a little dramatic. Lily thought she enjoyed acting as if she hated Hugo just to get a rise out of him, which happened more often than not. Before Lily was fully aware what was happening, Rose and Erin had left with Hugo, and Lucy and Charlotte promised to meet them at the pub and began making their way to Gladrags.

"Did they just ditch you?" Caleb asked, watching Lucy and Charlotte hurry down the street.

"Apparently," Lily said with a disbelieving chuckle. She turned to face him and make what was sure to be an amusing comment when she stopped short. Lily felt her pulse quicken as she realized the position her friends had once again managed to leave her in. She was standing alone in the street with Caleb Wood.

Over the course of their time at Hogwarts, Caleb had grown from one of her cousin's friends, to her teammate, and then to something she couldn't quite put a label on. It had all started the night she'd turned fifteen. There'd been a party for her in the Gryffindor common room towards the end of her fourth year and somehow, they'd been the last two people up. She'd had a bit of a thing for him from a distance since her third year, but she never thought it would really grow or even possibly be reciprocated until that night. They were able to talk to each other with such ease and their differences were just as thrilling to her as their similarities. She was even pretty sure he had almost kissed her that night. But that didn't mean things weren't complicated.

Neither of them had openly acknowledged whatever there was between them, and Lily assumed that was because they both knew there were certain people who would be less than happy if something happened. Louis was Caleb's best friend and she was sure it would be weird for him if he were to date his best friend's cousin. Al was protective and so was Hugo, so they'd definitely have something to say about it. Not that they thought Caleb was a bad guy, but there were always complications when friends dated friends, made even more complicated when there were relatives involved.

That didn't stop them from sending each other knowing glances or letting the other catch them staring. It had begun to happen with an increasing frequency throughout the year. On top of that, it seemed like they couldn't go a day without being unintentionally left alone together by their friends. Sometimes it was at meals and they were able to enjoy each other's company without worrying about being caught grinning at each other like ridiculous idiotes. But when it happened in the library, in the the common room, or in a deserted corridor, they struggled to keep things from growing awkward and uncomfortable based on the fact that they could easily cross the line that the obliviousness of their friends was making it very hard to maintain. During these moments, they'd attempt stilted conversation, but nothing they said seemed to matter as much as everything that was going unsaid. She'd gotten to the point where she thought the whole thing was ridiculous and she didn't care how anyone would react. But she desperately wanted him to make the first move. To know that he wanted this - wanted her.

And here they were again, in the middle of Hogsmeade with nothing but each other for company and plenty of places to sneak off to for a moment alone. He cleared his throat awkwardly and Lily looked up to see him glancing around, his hands shoved in his pockets and his wavy brown hair glistening slightly from the fallen snow.

"Did you have anywhere you wanted to go?" he asked, finally looking at her.

She shrugged and maintained eye contact. "Not really. We could go ahead and wait for everyone in the pub?" she suggested. He nodded, his deep blue eyes boring into hers. Lily felt her heart flutter as he took in every aspect of her features - studying her. If he was looking for a sign of what she wanted, she was doing everything she could to give him one.

"Funny we keep ending up in these situations, yeah?" he said with a nervous grin. Lily's eyes widened in surprise. This was the most either of them had openly acknowledged anything.

"Yeah, I suppose it is," she agreed, smiling slightly herself.

They stood there facing each other for what felt like an eternity to Lily. She fiddled with her scarf and looked around as she began to feel uncomfortable with the tense moment. He had yet to take his eyes off her, and she could feel the heat from his gaze. Finally, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the main road.

"Thank Merlin," she said, following as he led her down a side street. They ducked into an alleyway that led behind Dervish and Bangs, completely hidden from view of anyone walking down the streets of Hogsmeade. Caleb dropped her arm and she stopped as he took a few more paces ahead. He kept his back to her, his hands on his head as he breathed hard after their quick pace through the snow. Lily was trying to catch her breath as well, waiting for him to say something.

When he finally turned to face her, it was with determination in his eyes. She just looked up at him imploringly, snow landing on her flushed cheeks. Finally, he relaxed his stance, sighed, and moved towards her. She barely had time to blink before he was scooping her into his arms and kissing her in a way that only years of suppressed emotions would allow. Lily kissed him back enthusiastically, gripped his scarf tightly before throwing her arms around his neck and clutching at his coat along his strong back.

They broke apart for a moment to catch their breath before Lily pulled him back to her and kissed him still more fiercely than before. His massive frame encompassed her as he lifted her up and pressed her against the side of the building, her legs reflexively going around his waist. He grinned against her mouth and they both basked in the euphoria of finally acting on their feelings. She ran her fingers through his wavy, brown hair and reveled in the feel of his lips on hers. They fit perfectly together as their mouths moved effortlessly in sync. He eventually pulled away, but remained holding her against the wall, panting and staring at her.

She waited for him to say something and couldn't help but bring her fingers around to graze across his now swollen lips. He placed a light kiss on them before moving back in and resting his forehead against hers.

"You can't imagine how long I've wanted to do that," he whispered.

Her heart skipped a beat as she smiled shyly. "Actually, I probably can," she whispered back.

"Really?" he asked with a smile. "Try the better part of a year."

Lily chuckled. "Try two."

Caleb pulled back slightly to look her in the eye, his hand coming up to stroke her cheek as a blush crawled up her face.

"Merlin," he breathed. "I can't believe I could have done this at the beginning of the year and you wouldn't have slapped me."

She laughed as he leaned forward, his arm going back around her to hold her tighter as he nuzzled his face in her neck. Lily sighed in happiness and enjoyed the closeness of their embrace. Eventually, he reluctantly pulled away and her feet found the ground.

"We should probably head back into town, before someone realizes we ran off."

But he didn't turn to move. He just stood there, drinking her in.

"Caleb," Lily said, reaching out to take his hands. He smiled at the gesture and she continued. "Not to be that girl or anything, but what does this mean exactly?" She bit her lip in anticipation of his response as he looked down and sighed before meeting her gaze again.

"Lily, you can't image how much I care for you - how much I want to be with you."

She smiled at his words but could tell there was more.

"But?" she questioned.

"But," he agreed, a resigned look on his face as he gripped her hands in his, pulling her closer.

"Do you know how much everyone will spazz about this? I'm a year older and your cousin's my best friend, not to mentioned the reaction we would get from your brothers."

"Scared, Wood?" she asked with a smirk.

He chuckled at her. "Maybe a little. But I don't want to be. I was scared enough to tell you how I feel and look how much time that lost me? I don't want to be scared of being with you too."

She regarded him for a second before focusing on their hands. "And how exactly do you feel?" she asked shyly. He tilted her chin up so she'd look him in the eye.

"I thought I already covered this, but I suppose you need to hear it again?"

She nodded, grinning at him.

"I should think it was quite obvious," he said in all seriousness. "But in case you need it a little clearer, I fancy the hell out of you, Lily Potter."

She laughed at his words and the serious tone in which he said them. "Do you now, Mr. Wood?" she replied with a seductive wiggle of her eyebrows.

Caleb laughed and shook his head in amusement. "Obviously."

She smiled and held him tightly, not saying anything and not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I feel the same way, you know," she said into his chest, breaking the silence. "In case you couldn't tell."

He chuckled and pulled away, grabbing her hands again.

"What now?" she asked.

He looked at her sincerely. "Do you want to be with me?"

She nearly melted at the fact that, in spite of everything that had already happened, he still seemed nervous.

"Yes," she said, smiling brightly.

"Well the way I see it," he said, trying to control his grin as he tried to think reasonably. "Is that we don't tell anyone quite yet. See how it goes and then after a while, we can start to tell people. I don't want to appear weak or anything, but wouldn't you rather be sure of me before you subject me to a physical beating by your male relatives?"

She chuckled at the slightly scared look on his face. "Fine," she said, "we'll do it your way, on one condition."

"Anything, love," he said, beaming down at her.

Lily smiled at the affectionate term before assuming a serious face. "I get to make the call on when we tell people."

"Aren't we supposed to do things together? Isn't that how relationships are supposed to work?" he said in a teasing tone.

"True," she said, "but if I left it up to you, it would never happen. You're too afraid of any damage being done to that fantastic, quidditch physique." She ran her hands up his arms to emphasize her point.

"Ha ha very funny," he said sarcastically. "How about this. Easter holidays. No later. Agreed?"

"Agreed," she said, and he leaned down to give her one last kiss before moving to pull her back out into the busy town.

"Wait," she said, pulling him back to her. He looked at her questioningly. "They'll still probably be a little while, and we don't know when we'll get another moment alone. So...I was thinking…"

She bit her bottom lip and looked at him suggestively. He laughed before moving in, kissing her once again, and completely losing track of time.

* * *

 **A/N: They're fun :) We'll see more of them next snapshot! Make sure you check out my most recent chapter of SALF! And review!**


	7. Compromise - Lily

A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith:_ Chapter 29/30

* * *

\- _Lily_ -

"You shouldn't stand so close if you don't want people to find out."

Lily felt him sigh at her words, his hot breath hitting her neck as she scooped some more fruit on her plate. She willed herself not to shiver as Caleb moved to stand next to her rather than behind her, grabbing a few biscuits.

"This would be a hell of a lot easier if you weren't wearing _that_."

He let his eyes do one last sweep of her dress. It was a deep purple with a neckline up to her collarbone and sleeves that fluttered over her shoulders. It hung in a tunic style to her knees and it all looked rather innocent from the front, but the back dipped down into a V that revealed her shoulder blades and then some. Lily couldn't help but smirk.

"Do you expect me to wear a paper sack?"

He gave an amused snort, continuing down the line of food. They had to stop whispering to each other when Louis came up behind Lily in line.

"You two fancy some Snaps?" he asked, grabbing a piece of cheese and popping it into his mouth.

"Maybe after I eat," Lily said, keeping her focus on the table. She could feel Louis looking at his friend expectantly.

"Yeah, a little hard to play while you're eating, mate," he said with a chuckle. Louis just shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Come find us when you're done. Bobby and Hugo were getting set up on the patio."

He moved to the drink table and grabbed a butterbeer before leaving the dining room. Caleb let out an audible sigh.

"You know what would make this even easier than you wearing a paper sack?"

Lily knew where this was going.

"Caleb…"

"Lily."

They'd reached the end of the table and he turned to look at her. She nervously glanced around. There were a few other people in the dining room, but they were all in their own conversations and appeared to not be paying them any mind. Her father was talking to Dean Thomas by the drink table, and Scorpius was at the other end of the food table with Ethan.

"I know it's only been a few weeks," said Caleb. "And I know we said we wanted to wait until we were sure, but I don't need any more time to be sure I'm in this."

Lily took a deep breath, looking up into his sincere blue eyes. They were bright with life and they studied her closely.

"Can we talk about this in private?" said Lily, casting her eyes around the room. When he didn't say anything or make any attempt to move, Lily made her way towards the drink table, squeezing between her dad and Dean to grab two bottles of butterbeer. She strode past Caleb and he followed her out of the room. Lily didn't even attempt to move back into the crowd of people, turning down the hallway past the stairs instead. There was a small bathroom and a coat closet, but her goal was the room at the end of the hall. She bumped the half closed door open with her hip, and entered her father's study. Setting her food on the desk, she turned to Caleb as he closed the door behind them, handing him a butterbeer.

"Are we going to talk about this?" he asked, setting his plate on one of the many bookshelves and popping the top off his drink before taking a swig of it.

"You were the one who suggested keeping this a secret in the first place. What changed so quickly?" she asked.

Caleb gave a shrug. "I was nervous, at first. I guess I'm just not anymore."

Lily gave him a pointed look. "What about being terrified of my family."

"I'm not terrified of them," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I just didn't want to cause any unnecessary uproar. I have every intention on continuing to be with you, so why put it off any longer?"

Lily sighed, looking at him affectionately.

"Do you honestly think we're there yet?" she asked, leaning back against the desk and rolling her still unopened bottle between her hands. "I just don't know if we are. And I don't know if I want to go through all that yet."

"What if we think about this another way?" he asked, taking a step closer. "We've been talking so much about what we don't want or don't know, maybe we should focus on what we do."

She nodded, giving him a small smile of encouragement. "You go first," said Lily as she popped a biscuit in her mouth. Caleb looked contemplative for a moment.

"I know I enjoy spending time with you."

She swallowed, thinking. He was starting small. She could handle that.

"I know I want to get to know you more."

Caleb gave a crooked grin, seeming pleased that she was playing along.

"I know you're a good friend."

She chuckled, thinking of all the very non-friend-like things they'd done recently. "I know I want to be more than your friend."

He moved closer to her, almost as if drawn in by her words. "I know I care about you."

"I know I fancy you," said Lily, grinning as she did so. This had been a good idea. If nothing else, it was thrilling to wait and see what he'd say next.

"I know you're a bloody fantastic kisser," he said, that same crooked grin still on his face. She laughed as he took a step closer.

"I know you are too."

Caleb was now right in front of her, and Lily could feel the heat radiating off of him. "I know I want to be with you."

Lily sighed, and he reached out a hand to push her short red hair behind her ear.

"I think you know I want the same."

He smiled, kissing her lightly. "I know I'm not afraid of what your family might do."

She immediately felt anxious and began to worry her lip between her teeth. "I know the thought of telling people makes me nervous."

"Why?"

"That's not how the game works."

"It's my game, I can do what I want."

She gave him an annoyed look, but he simply looked at her, defiant.

"I don't know," she allowed. "As annoying as I find it, they'll always look at me as the baby of the family, because that's technically what I am. I'll have to put up with them being over protective and butting into my business, and you'll probably receive threats on a daily basis."

"I'm your friend, though," he reasoned. "I'm _their_ friend. Do you really think they'll have much of a problem with it?"

"I think I'm related to a bunch of over protective morons who don't know how to mind their own bloody business."

Caleb sighed, walking over to one of the bookshelves where he'd left his plate and his drink. He looked like he was working hard to come up with a solution as he picked at his food.

"Are you ever going to want to tell them?" he asked, popping a grape into his mouth and acting like his question was a trivial one. Lily felt guilt seep through her. She hadn't been as nervous to tell everyone when they'd first gotten together, and she blamed that on the adrenaline. Once things had settled, she was so content and happy with how things were between her and Caleb that she didn't want anything or anyone ruining that. But he didn't deserve someone who insisted on hiding him away. She pushed herself off the desk and walked over to him.

"I'm only trying to protect both of us for as long as possible. You think I don't want to be able to hold your hand in the corridors or give you a kiss good morning? It's only been three weeks and I'm already going crazy. Not to mention the fact that I'm so nervous I'll let it slip that I think through everything twice before I say it. So please believe that I understand, but I'm also enjoying the freedom that comes with no one being able to mess with this. It's just us, and I rather like that it's just us."

Caleb's features softened at her words and he nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. I like that it's just us as well. But how about a compromise?"

He gave her a hopeful look, and it was almost enough to completely dissolve any objections she'd previously had to telling anyone. Not that she'd tell him that.

"Fine. What did you have in mind, Wood?"

"We tell one person. You get to pick."

She gave him a shrewd look, completely open to his suggestion, but enjoying watching him sweat a little.

"Alright," she finally said, and he immediately relaxed, reaching forward to pull her closer to him, but Lily held her hand up to stop him. "But not tonight. I want tonight to still just be us."

"Deal," he said with a grin, and she knew he was just pleased that she'd agreed. The how and when didn't matter to him as much, as long as it happened. She knew why this was so important to him. Their relationship was very real to her, and to him as well. But there was something about telling the world they were together that solidified it. They weren't planning on telling the world just yet, but it was a start.

He bent down to kiss her, but Lily's eyes widened in panic at the sound of the door opening behind her. She quickly jumped back and his hand fell away from her face as she turned around.

Erin was standing in the doorway, and she did a rather comical double take when she saw them. They weren't exactly in a compromising position, but two people rarely sought a secluded space if they weren't looking to be alone together. And it was very possible she'd seen them before Lily stepped away from Caleb. Erin's eyes were now flitting back and forth between the two as she struggled to come up with something to say. She looked over her shoulder at the sound of someone calling her name, before giving Lily and Caleb an apologetic look and backing out of the room.

"Wait!" Lily said, thinking fast. Erin paused, looking at her expectantly. "You still owe me that favor?"

Erin seem confused for a moment, before it dawned on her. The deal they'd made months ago about her argument with Al.

"Don't say anything, yeah?" Lily asked. "Not to anyone."

Erin looked frustrated at the idea of keeping this secret, but she nodded before backing out of the room. Lily heaved a sigh as soon as the door was closed, turning to look at a stunned Caleb.

"Well," she said in resignation. "I guess that's our one person."

They gave it a few minutes, and then they made their way out of the study, Caleb waiting a moment so it wasn't obvious they'd been off alone together. Lily waited for him to find her in the crowd before they went out to join their friends on the patio. Louis, Hugo, and Bobby were out there, and Lily was surprised to see Al and Erin as well. She tried not to blush as the older girl observed them as they took their seats at the round patio table.

"Lil, do you know where another deck is?" Al asked as he shuffled the cards. "I had her check in Dad's study," he said with a nod towards Erin. "But she couldn't find any."

Lily heard Caleb uncomfortably clear his throat, and she stood quickly from her seat. "I'll go look."

"I'll help," Erin said, standing up and following after Lily. They made their way back to the study, Erin hot on Lily's heels.

"You mind telling me what I walked in on?" Erin asked as Lily searched through the desk drawers. She let out a huff of annoyance.

"It was nothing."

Erin scoffed. "That wasn't nothing. If finding you two alone wasn't enough, your guilty expressions sure gave it away."

Lily stopped her searching and crossed her arms, staring at Erin with determination. "Seeing as you're sworn to secrecy, wouldn't you rather know as little as possible?"

Erin rolled her eyes. "I'm just curious. Does anyone else know about this?"

Well, she had promised Caleb they'd tell someone, and maybe she hadn't chosen Erin, but she rather liked her brother's friend. Or girlfriend. Whatever she was. The thought actually gave her an idea.

"Tell me something about you and Al and I'll tell you something about me and Caleb."

Erin's eyes narrowed at the challenge. "How many times do I have to-"

"Cut the shit, Longbottom," said Lily. "You two are together in everything but name. Spill something personal and I'll be obliged to do the same."

Brow furrowed in frustration, Erin seemed to mull her options over before she relented.

"Fine. But make it fast because they'll start to wonder where we are."

Lily grinned in delight. "Do you have feelings for my brother?"

Erin scowled at her. "Yes. Are you and Caleb dating?"

"Yes," said Lily, feeling a rush of joy as she answered the question for the first time.

"How long?" Erin asked.

"Three weeks. Have you shagged him?"

"Lily!"

"What?"

Erin was blushing furiously. "No, I haven't shagged him. Do you plan on telling anyone else?"

Lily sobered at the question. "Eventually. I just know how every single one of my male relatives are going to treat him and I'd like to put that off for as long as possible."

Erin nodded in understanding.

"Are you two actually together then?" Lily asked, the questions starting to feel more like a conversation.

"No," Erin said, trying to act nonchalant about it. "He acts like it sometimes, but no."

In a way, Lily felt sorry for her. Not in a pitying way, but in sympathy. She'd done the whole uncertainty thing. Not exactly to the extent Erin currently was, but still. She knew how frustrating it was to feel like you were waiting for something you were never sure was going to come.

"You going to do something about it?"

Erin smirked at her. "Maybe. Is Caleb a good kisser?"

"Erin!" Lily said, trying not to blush.

"What?" Erin said with a shrug. "He's fit. I just always wondered."

Lily laughed, going back to her search and finally locating the cards. "Yes, actually. He's a fantastic kisser."

Erin let out a pout, disappointed that she was missing out.

"Just don't tell me the same is true about my brother, because I will vomit."

They left the study and headed back to the party, both laughing at Lily's comment.

"What took you so long?" Hugo asked when they reached the patio, his attention still focused on the game.

"Girl stuff," Erin said, and they all gave groans of displeasure. Lily grinned at Erin who winked at her across the table before turning to watch the game as Al played a card from his spot next to her. Lily watched Al and Erin as Louis went next, and her brother's arm moved under the table. By the slight smile that Erin gave him and the position of his arm, it was obvious that he'd placed his hand on her knee. Those two really were idiots, but she felt better about the whole thing after talking to Erin. It had always been obvious to Lily that Al had a thing for his best friend, but she hadn't known until tonight whether or not Erin felt the same. It was only a matter of time now before they got their act together.

"Everything good?" Caleb whispered so quietly no one else could have possibly heard him. Lily gave a subtle grin as Caleb glanced nervously towards Erin. Bolstering her courage, Lily mimicked her brother and slowly reached out under the table until her hand was resting on Caleb's leg. He reacted subtly, shooting a sideways glance at her before focusing back on the game, a slight smile on his face as Lily answered him.

"Everything's great."

* * *

 **A/N: Next up is our beloved Al and Erin. This time from his POV!**


	8. Know - Al

A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 31 - _When it snows, ain't it thrilling?_

* * *

 _-_ Al -

Al was running through the woods, back to their home base. Well, technically their _fake_ home base, but they needed them to think it was the real one. He knew Rose had paid close attention to the direction they'd run off in.

The mound of snow they'd formed loomed in front of him, and he slowed to a walk - Teddy, Violet, Jill, and Eva right behind him.

"How'd it go?" Hugo asked as they approached. He was leaning against a tree by the mound, obviously bored with his task.

"Fine, but we should be expecting company," said Teddy. "The others followed Rose, thanks to Scorpius' quick thinking. She saw the direction we headed and she's smart enough to gather we were heading back to camp since she made a comment about our lowered defenses. She might even be leading them to her camp right now."

"What do we do next?" asked Violet, eager for action. Compared to last year's fight, when she'd been surly and mopy the whole time, this was a completely different Violet. Al found he quite enjoyed it.

"Some of us should stay here. Keep up appearances. We still have a couple areas to check so if a few want to come with me-"

"I'll go," Hugo was quick to volunteer, pushing off the tree to stand at attention. Teddy gave a nod in agreement.

"Alice?"

She seemed hesitant, but she also agreed to go with Teddy. "You two," said Teddy, pointing at Jill and Eva, "stay on guard duty while you two," he gestured to Al and Violet, "guard the perimeter. That way we have two levels of defense."

With that, Teddy trudged back towards enemy territory, an eager Hugo and a reluctant Alice on his heels.

"Come on," said Al. "I think Lucy will be heading this way with some back up."

He and Violet moved back the way they had come, walking slowly so as not to alert any enemies to their presence. For now, it seemed quiet.

"How's term been?" Violet asked quietly, her eyes searching the trees. "Other than all the stuff with Scorpius, I mean."

Al shrugged. "It's been alright. And I think that's all going to turn out okay. He's a decent bloke who deserves a second chance."

"What about you, though?" Violet pushed. "I know you're wanting to start training after you finish school."

"I am," he said, excited by the prospect. They paused for a moment when they heard a noise, but it was just a bird alighting on a branch so they continued forward. "It's scary to think about leaving Hogwarts behind, but I'm looking forward to something new. Life beyond the castle and all that."

"I felt the same," Violet said. "But I knew I'd still have Rox and James and everyone."

"Yeah," said Al with a nod. "That definitely helps."

They continued in silence for a few moments as they walked and search the trees with their eyes. They were nearing their boundary, and stopped behind two trees that were close together, waiting for people to show up. He bent down to start forming some ammunition.

"What about Erin?"

His head jerked up and his eyes met Violet's inquisitive ones.

"Huh?" he asked intelligently.

"You and Erin. There's something going on there, yeah?"

Al sighed, turning his attention back to his work. It was probably his own bloody fault that people kept asking questions about this. Rose and Scorpius knew them best so of course they'd ask questions, but he knew he wasn't being subtle anymore. He couldn't help himself. Last night she'd seemed so tired and miserable and he wanted to help her. At least she'd finally let him, although grudgingly. It had been hard to handle seeing her tonight as well without wanting to stick close to her the entire time. It was a combination of just wanting to be near her and not wanting anyone else to get any ideas. She probably had no clue just how beautiful she was.

Until tonight, he'd been uncertain if she was just going along with whatever the hell it was they were doing, or if she actually possibly felt the same way he did. He'd been subtly changing the game and she seemed surprised at every turn, but pleasantly so. At least she wasn't shoving him away in disgust when he did thinks like wrap his arm around her waist and kiss her on the forehead. Like he'd done tonight. He always tried not to read too much into things. His powers of observation were overwhelming at times, and he tended to play the fool in an effort to cover up how much he actually knew. He hadn't been joking that day when he'd told Erin that he didn't need Scorpius to answer the questions about who all those people fancied. He'd already gathered that Fred had a thing for Eva. And you'd have to be blind to be best friends with Rose and not see how crazy she was about Scorpius. He'd just been trying to rile them both up. Have a little fun.

All that being said, when it came to Erin, he really didn't fare very well. There were a lot of ways in which he knew and understood her, but she was a bit of a mystery to him when it came to her motives. He thought he was beginning to understand more. She never really did much of anything unless she fully wanted to.

Her gift had been so incredibly thoughtful, and he knew it wasn't cheap either. She only gave him treacle fudge for his birthday, and it was usually something simple every other holiday they'd swapped gifts. If anything, this gift confirmed that she actually knew him and cared about him. But did it mean more? She'd already said she supported his dream of becoming an Auror, but this was even more proof of that. He'd been telling Scorpius the truth when he'd said he never wanted to put a girl in the position of having to handle the dangers he would face every day unless they were willing to do so. Unless they could handle it. Erin was starting to prove that she could. That she wanted to.

It was more than he'd ever let himself hope for. He had no clue how long he'd had feelings for Erin, but he'd never let himself fully go there until this year. First of all, they were friends. Why ruin that? Second, he knew he annoyed her to no end at times, so he'd always found it highly unlikely she'd ever be interested. So he'd dated Mandy and then decided that it wasn't worth dating around until he was in the real world and whoever he was with knew what they were getting themselves into. But Erin was starting to change all of that.

"Al?"

He looked up, realizing that he'd never answered Violet's question. Al sighed and stood. "Yes, and no. Yes there's something going on, but no we're technically not together. Does that answer your question?"

Violet looked at him in confusion. "Not even slightly."

He heard the sound of crunching snow and jerked his head around just in time to see long blonde hair whip behind a tree and out of sight. They heard whispering. There was more than one of them. Al looked at Violet and she nodded, snow in her hands and ready to go. They both moved out from behind their trees and started pelting the three people who'd now come into the open with snow. There was yelling and screaming as two ran off in one direction and one in another.

"I've got these two," Violet said, running off after what looked to be Bobby and Lucy. Al headed in the opposite direction, making his way towards whoever was now moving further into his team's territory. They'd slowed down and he saw them creep slowly from tree to tree, but there wasn't enough light for him to make out who it was. He moved quickly and as silently as possible, snow in his hands and ready to be fired off at a moments notice. Positioning himself so they'd have to cross his path if they wanted to continue further towards his camp, he stopped and waited. The sound of their footsteps grew closer, and he managed to peak around the edge of his tree, a devious grin growing on his face as he caught sight of her.

A minute later, she was only one tree away. He waited for her to get a few steps away from it, and then pounced. He grabbed her around the waist from behind, shoving a handful of snow in her wavy blonde hair as she let out a scream. Erin kicked and flailed and was now swearing profusely for whoever had her to let her go. At the sound of his chuckle, she stilled, recognizing it. He lowered her to the ground, but kept his arm around her waist as she turned to face him, scowling as she brushed the snow out of her hair.

"You didn't have to do that."

Al just smiled, reaching a hand up to get what she'd missed. "You should've worn a hat."

"I did," she said with a pout. "I lost it somehow."

Erin let out a sigh, relaxing a bit in his partial embrace, and Al was realizing that this was the first moment he'd gotten her alone since they'd exchanged gifts. The atmosphere provided by the dark skies, the cover of the trees, and the cold air had him wanting to take advantage of it. He pulled her closer and she looked at him in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"Are you objecting?"

She rolled her eyes as her hands rested on his chest. "You're going to get in trouble for fraternizing with the enemy."

"So are you." Al smirked and she pursed her lips at him. She was competitive, and he could see her weighing the options.

"Are you taking me to prison?" she asked. He faked thinking about it for a moment.

"No."

"Planning on killing me instead?"

He laughed at the straightforward manner in which she asked the question. "No," he said, shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

"What then?" she said in annoyance, looking at him expectantly. Now he grew nervous. He'd wanted to thank her for the gift and maybe even ask her what it meant. With the opportunity to do so in front of him, he now felt himself losing his nerve.

"Al?" asked Erin, concern growing in her eyes. He probably looked like he was about to have a panic attack, so he did what he knew would immediately calm his nerves. Leaning forward and wrapping his other arm around her waist, he placed his lips softly on hers. He felt her hesitate slightly, before she kissed him back. It relaxed him immediately; grounding him and giving him clarity. He lingered for a moment before pulling back to look at her. Erin's eyes were flickering between his in question, but her cheeks were pinker and a smile tugged at her lips.

"It was perfect," he managed to get out. "Your gift. I just wanted to thank you."

Her eyes widened a little bit in pleasant surprise and she gave him a timid smile. "You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

There was a pause as she pulled her eyes from his, worrying her lip between her teeth and letting out a slight shiver. He instinctively pulled her slightly closer in an effort to warm her.

"Yours was perfect too," she said, and he felt his pulse speed up. He'd been nervous about her reaction to his gift, but she'd seemed pleased with it, if a little emotional. They'd not really talked about her grandmother other than that moment in the corridor when she told him she was actually doing well with all that. He hadn't let himself fully believe her, knowing she was stubborn and had an uncanny ability to live in denial. The idea for the gift had come to him during that conversation. He wanted her to be able to remember without thinking solely about the fact that her great-grandmother was gone. Something for her to remember her presence rather than focus on her absence. He'd been worried he'd overstepped, but thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.

"It wasn't too much?" he asked. "I was worried it might be."

She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking, and he felt guilty for a moment when her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she blinked and they were gone. Her gaze was focused on his chest where her hands were slowly moving up to his shoulders and back down again.

"No, it was truly perfect. I know I haven't talked to you about all of this much, but you've really been wonderful. At first it was nice to just have a distraction, but you've been more than that, you know?"

He did know. Al wanted to be a source of comfort and support for her, even if she still refused to talk about everything. But she seemed to want to now, so he eagerly prepared to listen.

"I really miss her," she said, still looking at her hands, which were now resting on his chest as she fiddled with the buttons on his coat. "Her absence has been so hard to miss. The cookies I gave Scorp? They're actually her recipe. She taught me how to make them. And she always read to me out of these journals that she kept her whole life. That's what she was doing in that last picture of us together. I still have them, but it's different than hearing her old creaky voice reading them to me."

She actually chuckled lightly at that, and she brought her eyes to his, letting out a deep breath. "I know it's not always going to be easy, but she lived a full and beautiful life. I can either wallow in the fact that she's gone, or remember how much she loved me and all the memories that go along with that. And today, you definitely helped make that easier. So thank you."

Erin smiled nervously up at him and Al felt elated. Had he actually done something right? And had she actually just opened up to him about all of that?

"You're welcome," he said, and he knew he sounded pleased with himself by the way she rolled her eyes.

"Don't let it go to your head."

"Hey, I'm allowed to be pleased that it turns out I actually know you pretty well."

She chuckled, shaking her head at him in disbelief. "You kind of do."

"You know me pretty well too," he said. "But I suppose knowing each other our whole lives helps with that."

"I also pay very close attention," she said in mock seriousness, the tone of the conversation quickly shifting to flirty banter. He wasn't quite ready for that yet. His conversation with Violet had stuck in the back of his head. She said it helped to know James and Rox and everyone would be there once they got out in the real world, and he knew he'd still have his friends as well. But would he have Erin? Would he _really_ have Erin? The way he wanted to? He needed to be sure, and now seemed like as good a time as any.

"Then you probably know just how important being an Auror is to me."

The small smile that had been on her face dropped at his serious tone. She nodded, watching him closely.

"I don't think you realize how much it means to me that you're not only supportive, but that you encourage me as well. As crazy as it sounds, it makes me feel like I can do it even more, knowing you'll be there to cheer me on."

She was looking at him with an unreadable expression, her eyes searching his face, unsure of what exactly he meant. He took a deep breath.

"You'll be there, right?"

Her eyes widened briefly and she actually flinched in surprise. She gave a silent laugh, her mouth forming into an open smile. It seemed that to suggest anything otherwise was completely ridiculous to her.

"Of course I will."

And then he was kissing her and her arms were going around his neck and he'd backed them into a tree. He didn't care that they were in the middle of a highly intense snowball fight in his backyard in frigid temperatures. All of the cold left his body as soon as she pulled hers against him. She was running her gloved hands up into his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her mouth moved exquisitely against his own, pulling him deeper into the kiss as her body curved against his. He moaned into her mouth and his hands flattened against her back, but they didn't stay there. Erin gasped and pulled away, but only slightly. His hands had wandered lower than they ever had before.

"Alright?" he asked breathlessly. Her eyes searched his for a moment before she nodded, moving in to give him an open mouthed kiss that knocked the breath out of him. He let his hands wander lower until they were fully cupping her backside. He moaned when her response was to swirl her tongue in his mouth. His body almost moving of its own accord, Al crouched down slightly so his hands gripped the back of her thighs before he stood straight up, Erin instinctively jumping into his arms as he pulled her legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss. He leaned her back against the tree for support, hoping her many layers would make the position more comfortable. Their kisses were turning sloppy as they devoured each other. In an effort to take control of the situation, he pulled back for a moment, before kissing her long and slow. Erin's formerly erratic breathing evened out, and she exhaled slowly as her hands, which had started to tug rather forcefully at his hair, were now gently stroking it, moving around to cup his face. The intense and passionate moments were brilliant, but there was a part of him that much prefered the slower yet consuming kisses that were purely about basking in the presence of the other person.

Eventually, the kisses grew shorter, till he was peppering her face with slow, soft caresses.

"We're gonna get caught," said Erin, not sounding like she truly cared as Al placed a kiss on her jaw. He brought his face level with hers, his eyes shining in delight.

"Doesn't matter. Can't hide the fact you look like you've been thoroughly snogged."

She laughed, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pulling him closer so their noses touched. "You look a little ravished yourself. And you said _I_ was the one who was ravishing."

"Oh, trust me. I meant it," he said with a chuckle. She grinned and gave him a light familiar kiss. Her legs were still wrapped around him, her ankles crossed behind his back. Al's hands began to subconsciously rub up and down her thighs and he felt her breath catch at the gesture. He then became all too aware of the rather compromising position they were in. Hoping to avoid what could be an uncomfortable moment, he simply kissed her one last time, releasing her legs so she could drop them to the ground as he did so. This tactic seemed to work as she pulled away and smiled at him, his hands going around her waist so he could pull her to him in a simple hug. They just stood there for a moment, breathing each other in as he felt her chest moving against his.

"We should probably go," said Al eventually, reluctantly pulling away from her, but holding her gloved hand in his. "You are my prisoner after all."

He grinned at the pout Erin wore, but she followed, falling in step beside him. It was then that they heard James hollering from up near the house, and Erin welled up with excitement.

"No," Al let out in a long groan, just as Erin gave an enthusiastic cheer. Erin began moving quicker through the woods, pulling him after her and only dropping his hand when they managed to find some of the others. He felt slightly disappointed as they made their way out of the trees. He'd let himself get distracted when he could have actually been useful. His competitive nature had him berating himself for that, but Al couldn't find a reason to complain about the moment he and Erin had just had in the woods. It was totally worth losing the game if it meant he got the girl in the end.

* * *

A/N: Alright. These snapshots are slowing becoming "my excuse to make my other characters snog it out," but I don't really care :) Hope you enjoyed! This chapter as well as the previous two are all mentioned/referenced in Chapter 36 of SALF.


	9. Beautiful - Al & Erin

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 33 - _Something in the way she moves._**

* * *

 _-_ _Al_ -

The bride was beautiful, the bridesmaids were beautiful, and the whole wedding was beautiful. All in all, it was a beautiful day. But Albus Potter would swear to anyone who asked him that the most beautiful thing he'd seen all day was Erin Longbottom.

He'd been distracted during the lead up to the wedding by getting dressed and taking photos and helping out when needed. There were a few moments when Al wondered when Erin would be getting there, but he hadn't thought too much about it until he was standing up at the front with his godbrother and the other groomsmen and he saw her for the first time.

She was sitting about halfway back with her family, her hair half pulled back and falling in familiar and beautiful waves slightly past her shoulders. Her dress was a dark gray and long sleeved with a conservative neckline. She had her light blue eyes trained toward the bride and groom, a small smile on her face that would sometimes grow into a brighter one at different moments. Tears welled in her eyes for Teddy's parents and grandmother, but she didn't let any fall. She rarely let her tears fall.

It wasn't even her appearance that had Al struck by her beauty. It was the way who she was shone out through her eyes and her smile and the way she laughed and held herself. The fact that he knew it was hard for her to hear them talk about Teddy's grandmother not being there, and that she probably couldn't help but think about one day in the future where her great-grandmother wouldn't be able to attend her own wedding. That in spite of all that, she seemed full of joy and contentment as she sat next to her brother, even at one point resting her head against his shoulder.

Unlike Al, who'd had a difficult time focusing on the ceremony with her sitting in his direct line of sight, Erin seemed completely immersed in the proceedings. There was only one moment when her eyes wandered over to him, and she blushed a bit to catch him watching her. A small smile graced her lips and she even gave him a subtle wink before focusing back on Teddy as he said his vows.

Al managed to pay attention a little better after that as well, and by the time the ceremony was over, he wanted things to hurry up and be done with so he could get back to the reception and find Erin. But no, pictures had to be taken and his mother had to fuss over him and make sure he said hello to some family members and then he was finally able to make his way over to the table where Erin sat with Rose, Lily, Hugo, and Charlotte.

He shouldn't feel this nervous. They were together, for Merlin's sake. Actually, solidly together. He'd been so relieved when she'd understood on Christmas Eve that that was what he wanted. He thought he would have had to spell it out more, but she'd agreed wholeheartedly that, when life moved on to the next stage, she would be there with him. And in Al's opinion, it didn't get much clearer than that.

Still, when he reached the table and sat beside her, he felt himself chickening out and unable to tell her exactly how he felt about seeing her. Rather than tell her how beautiful she looked and how he could hardly keep his eyes off her, he settled for telling her she looked nice.

Nice? That's the best he could come up with? It would have to do for now, he resigned, as Scorpius joined their table and they ate their dinner. Maybe he'd have a chance to tell her later. And without so many prying eyes and ears.

His opportunity to get her somewhat on her own came a short while later, after Teddy and Victoire had their first dance as a married couple. The guests had all been invited onto the dance floor, and rather than risk losing his nerve, he quickly grabbed Erin's hand and pulled her out of her chair and into the crowd of dancers.

The music was a nice medium tempo, and he did his best to remember the small amount of dancing he knew, thanks to his mother.

"I would have said yes if you'd asked," Erin said in slight annoyance as she rested one hand on his shoulder while he clasped the other in his own. "You didn't have to drag me out here."

Al felt guilty for a moment before he realized she was smirking at him.

"And you would have said I didn't even need to ask if I had," he replied with a roll of his eyes. She laughed and he took great pleasure in the sound.

"You're probably right," said Erin, "but just because you know what my answer will be, doesn't mean you shouldn't still ask."

She said it in more of a suggestive way than a teasing one. Like she was hinting at something, only Al wasn't sure if she was referring to anything other than dancing.

"I'll remember that," he said with a grin. Erin just rolled her eyes but chuckled all the same as he pulled her closer. He'd almost worked up the courage to pay her a compliment that was a little better than his earlier one, when she let out a heavy sigh and he noticed she kept glancing around as if searching for someone.

"Lose something?" he asked, pulling her attention back to him.

"I still haven't seen Alice," she said in a slightly worried tone. "She seemed a little tense earlier so I'm just worried about her."

"I'm sure she's fine," said Al, unsure what else he could say. He knew Erin would worry about her sister no matter what he told her. Thankfully, she nodded and relaxed a bit in his arms, and Al took a moment to look around as well.

It was nice to see all his family so happy. His parents were dancing not far from him and Erin, both grinning ear to ear as they subtly watched Teddy and Victoire, who only had eyes for each other. Ron and Hermione and Neville and Hannah weren't far off, and most of the couples in his family made up the rest of the crowd of dancers. Al noticed Scorpius had gotten Rose to dance with him as well, unless it was the other way around. Even Hugo was dancing with Charlotte.

He looked back at Victoire and Teddy and felt truly happy for his cousin and his godbrother. Teddy had been like a brother to Al his whole life. He was off at Hogwarts most of Al's early childhood, and he spent so much time with his family during the summers that it wasn't until he was a little older that Al understood Teddy wasn't his actual brother like James was. So he'd always seen him that way, and he now had that strange feeling of losing something you could never get back. Probably the same way he would feel if James got married. And the same way James and Lily would feel if he did. It was a good change and a happy one, but things would forever be different. Victoire would come first. The family they would probably have together would be his priority. He was truly grown up now.

"Where's your head at, Potter?" asked Erin, pulling Al out of his musings. He gave a half hearted shrug and smiled down at her.

"Just realizing how much things are changing. I'm happy for Ted and Vic, but it'll be different now."

She nodded in understanding.

"I've missed Teddy since we've been at Hogwarts," said Erin. "Do you remember when he'd be home for Christmas and you'd all come over to skate on our pond?"

Al chuckled at the memory, clearly seeing himself and Erin along with their siblings enjoying spending time in the snow and on the ice.

"Teddy was never that good at it," he said with a smile. "He taught Lily, but then he ended up falling on his arse more times than she did."

Erin laughed, remembering as well. "It was always so much fun to have him there. He was so nice to us girls. Not like you and James."

"Oi!"

"Don't try denying it," Erin said with a chuckle. "You did what you could to get me to fall down. And James was no better."

"Well we eventually learned though, didn't we?" said Al. "I'll never forget the day I knocked you over and you got back up only to come barreling after me and tackle me into a snowbank."

Erin threw her head back in laughter.

"You should have paid attention to how Ethan treated me," she said once she was able to respond. "He learned the hard way well before you did."

Al just shook his head and chuckled at the proud look she wore, enjoying the easy conversation and being able to simply hold her. He'd always been more hesitant to do so in front of other people, especially since he didn't want them asking questions when he was unable to give an answer. But he could now. They were together. The thought gave him courage.

Al released Erin's hand so he could place both of his on her waist, pulling her closer as her now free hand joined her other on his shoulders. She didn't seem too fazed by it, so he pressed on.

"Erin?"

She looked into his eyes in question.

"You look beautiful."

The blush that rose to her cheeks did not go unnoticed by Al, and he did his best to contain his grin as she glanced away.

"Thank you," she murmured, her eyes going back to meet his before she took in his attire.

"You're right handsome yourself," she said with a smirk, regaining her footing after being knocked off balance by his compliment.

"Thanks, but I didn't just mean the dress and the hair and what not."

A surprised and curious look crossed her face as she looked at him, awaiting an explanation.

"I guess I should have just said you _are_ beautiful, rather than you look it. There's a difference, don't you think?"

It took a moment but Erin eventually nodded, her expression dumbfounded.

"Sort of like saying you _are_ stupid rather than you look stupid," said Al in an attempt to explain himself better and hopefully make her laugh. It did the trick and she almost snorted in her attempt to hold in her laughter.

"Thanks, I think I get it," she managed to say.

"Do you?" he asked sincerely, and Erin met his intense gaze in surprise. She didn't answer. The song had changed to one that was rather slow, and he pulled her closer, barely moving his feet from side to side as he made to duck his head down to hers. He stopped when he heard her take in a sharp breath. Watching her face closely, he realized she was nervous as she chewed her lower lip and glanced around them.

"No one's watching us," he said in a quiet tone, not entirely sure if what he said was actually the case.

"I know," she said indignantly. "I'm just not the best at public displays of affection. Especially when…"

She let her statement hang there, unfinished, and Al wanted desperately to press her, but she was shaking her head a moment later.

"Nevermind. Still haven't caught a glimpse of Alice have you?"

With a sigh, Al let it go before taking a quick glance around the crowd of people.

"No," he assured her. "But she could be using the loo or helping Vic with something. I don't see her either."

He hadn't realized the bride and groom had left the dance floor until that moment, and he grew curious and almost concerned for a bit before realizing they probably had people to talk to and cake to cut and a whole number of things to get on with. They couldn't spend their whole time dancing. Al didn't need to worry about them. He'd much rather worry about the girl he was holding in his arms.

Erin seemed at ease once again, and he pulled her slightly closer so she automatically rested her head on his shoulder. Al revelled in the closeness, enjoying it for a minute or two before daring to drop a kiss to the top of her head. He should have known it would spoil their moment.

Erin pulled back and looked up at him in frustration.

"Al, people will talk."

"I realize that," he said, growing annoyed at how paranoid she was being.

"And you're alright with that?" she asked skeptically.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he couldn't help but question. "We-"

But he was unable to finish his question as Rose and Scorpius came pushing through the crowd, heading straight towards them.

* * *

- _Erin -_

Erin barely noticed that no one had followed her as she hurried up the stairs in the Burrow. She also only briefly noted the presence of her professor on the landing outside the room she assumed her sister was in. With nothing more than a light tap on the door, Erin cracked it open, barely hesitating to walk in when the sight and sound of her sister crying reached her.

Victoire was holding Alice as she did her best to control her tears. Erin shut the door and marched right up to the bed and sat next to her sister, waiting for Alice to realize she was there if she needed her. It was Victoire who quietly told Alice that her sister was there, and then Alice had lifted her head from Victoire's shoulder and sat up so she could rest her head on her sister's instead.

"He's here, Erin. That bloody pig is actually here."

Her voice was strained from her tears, but Erin had seen her completely fall apart before and this wasn't it. She seemed more angry and frustrated than crushed or broken. Like she didn't want to be reacting this way but she couldn't quite help it.

"How'd that happen, by the way?" asked Erin, asking the question of Victoire, though not in an accusing way.

"Teddy invited most of his coworkers and Ginny was in charge of the invite list," Victoire explained. "I didn't pay that close attention, especially when it was something I'd trusted Teddy or someone else with. I hadn't realized Teddy actually knew him well enough to invite him. He doesn't know the history."

Erin nodded in understanding and the three girls sat in silence for a while. It was probably a good five minutes before Alice fully stopped crying and spoke up again.

"I saw him during the ceremony," she said. "He was sitting towards the back, but he's tall. Not exactly hard to miss. I resolved to be indifferent and keep my distance, but he couldn't help himself. Bastard."

She sniffled and rubbed a hand over her eyes as she lifted her head off Erin's shoulder and leaned back against the wall. Alice went on to explain how'd she'd come inside after the ceremony to collect herself a bit before joining the festivities, and that she'd been talking to Malcolm by the drink table after dinner when Liam Smith found her.

"I'd almost forgotten he was there, but then he just showed up out of nowhere," she said in a strained voice. "Malcolm we being as lovely as always but apparently he knows Liam somehow and before I knew what was happening, they were greeting each other like friends."

"It's possible they knew each other in school, but Malcolm used to meet up with Teddy and some of the other Auror's for drinks when he was still working in London," Victoire explained. "I never realized he might be one of them. I'm so sorry"

Alice nodded and placed her hand in Victoire's. "It's alright and I don't blame you," she assured her. "It was just a lot all at once."

Alce went on to explain exactly what happened, and Erin grew incensed on her sister's behalf. He had no right to force his presence on her and even less of one to try and persuade her to dance with him. At least she hadn't been alone. A deeper respect and appreciation for her Muggle Studies professor grew in Erin at that moment.

"I just hate that I never realized how manipulative he was back then," said Alice in frustration. "I was just so surprised and flattered that an older boy who happened to be one of the fittest blokes at Hogwarts would actually pay attention to me. It wasn't long before I started to do whatever I could to keep his attention."

Erin felt sick to her stomach. Not because of what Alice was alluding to, but because of how much she'd dealt with all alone. She'd never fully opened up to Erin about what had gone on between her and Liam Smith, especially since Erin had been so young at the time. She'd made some assumptions as she grew older, but having it all confirmed made her hate the boy who'd hurt her sister even more.

It was as if Alice had bottled everything up for so long and she could no longer hold it in. She started telling them everything, and by the time she finished, almost twenty minutes had passed and Alice seemed lighter, as if a giant weight that she'd been carrying around for years had finally lifted.

"You know what I can't shake, though?" Alice said. "The look in Malcolm's face after Liam hinted at how willing to please I was. It felt like he realized he didn't even knew me."

"I'm sure that's not true," said Victoire. "He probably knows that Liam was full of it and his words just shocked him. I doubt he thinks any less of you."

"You didn't see his face," Alice insisted.

"Ally, you can't let him keep doing this," Erin said vehemently. "You've let what happened with Liam dictate your relationships for years. Don't let him do it anymore."

"She's right," said Victoire. "Just because Liam thought so little of you as to use you the way he did, that doesn't mean Malcolm would ever do the same."

Alice sniffed, looking down at her hands in thought. "He wouldn't, would he?" she said, more as a statement than a question. Victoire reached out and took her hand in response, offering reassurance and comfort as Alice rested her head on Erin's shoulder once again. They were all silent for a few more minutes before the door was slowly opened and Rose poked her head in.

"Sorry," Rose began, "but they need you, Vic."

The bride nodded, squeezing Alice's hand before standing. Rose fully opened the door and moved into the room as Victoire left.

"Everything alright?" Rose asked after the door was shut behind her. Alice lifted her head off Erin's shoulder, who noted she looked rather calm and put together. She gave a nod and a small smile.

"I'm okay. Just took me by surprise and he was behaving like a cad. Brought back a lot of memories."

Rose gave a nod of understanding.

"Can I ask a question?" she began hesitantly, and Alice nodded.

"Is whatever happened with this Smith character the reason you're keeping Malcolm at arms length?"

Erin looked at Rose in shock. Was she crazy? Now was not the time to pressure her into doing anything about Malcolm, even if it was rather obvious that Alice liked him.

"He really stood up for you," Rose continued. "He and Teddy and Harry made him leave."

Alice visibly swallowed, staring at Rose as if trying to process this information. Erin was having a hard time not being impressed with both her Muggle Studies professor for sticking up for Alice, and Rose for sticking up for Malcolm.

"I know this really isn't any of my business, but he really cares about you and he's sitting right outside."

Surprise made another appearance on Alice's face, and Erin felt slightly guilty for both ignoring her professor when she'd come to find her sister, and then forgetting that he was out there at all. Erin looked at Alice, surprised to see a hint of a smile on her face before she schooled her features to be more passive.

"He doesn't want to see me," she said in a quiet voice. "I'm a mess."

"Do you want to see him?" Rose asked. Alice looked at her for a moment, chewing her lip as she considered. "I think the only thing he cares about is that you're alright," Rose assured her.

Alice looked at Erin, and she withdrew her arm from around her sister's shoulder and squeezed her hand, and a smile actually formed on Alice's face. She looked back at Rose and nodded. Erin reluctantly got up from the bed, but not before asking one last time if her sister was okay. Once assured that Alice would be fine, she followed Rose out into the hall. They left the door open behind them and Malcolm looked up from his position on the stairs as they appeared.

Erin gazed down at him with her arms crossed and her demeanor stern. He might be a more than decent bloke, but Alice was her sister and had been through enough. Nothing was going to stop Erin from sticking up for her.

"Seeing as this might be the last time that I'll have the opportunity to talk to you as someone other than my professor for a while," she said coolly, "there's something I want to say."

Malcolm nodded at her, and she continued. "If you bloody hurt her, you'll wind up in far worse shape. There's plenty of people who'd go out of their way to make your life hell. She's been through enough, alright?"

He nodded, trying to keep his face straight but unable to keep the amusement out of his eyes. This wasn't unnoticed by Erin.

"I'm serious," she continued. "My brother's an Auror and my dad's a war hero. So watch yourself, Bray."

He managed to school his features into a serious expression, and he gave her a somber nod. It was enough.

"She wants to see you," she said with a jerk of her head towards the room, and she appreciated how much his face immediately lit up. She and Rose moved down the stairs as he stood, and they briefly heard him say Alice's name as he closed the door behind him. Erin let out a long sigh.

"That was bloody exhausting," she said as they reached the living room. Scorpius and Al were still waiting for them and stood when the girls entered.

"Everything alright?" Al asked, concern etched across his features.

"I think so," Erin said, glancing back up the stairs, a small smile on her face as she realized that Alice was in more than good hands. "And if they weren't before, I have a feeling they're about to be."

She continued into the living room and welcomed the comforting embrace Al offered. It had taken its toll to see Alice so disheartened, and it was exhausting to listen to her retell everything she'd gone through.

"Let's head back out," she said as she pulled away from Al, realizing that Rose and Scorpius had already started to head back to the reception. Before she could move very far, Al grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. His face looked concerned and she gave him a questioning look.

"Are _you_ alright?" he asked, and the warmth in his eyes and the genuine concern in his voice had Erin falling for him all over again. She forgot about her earlier frustrations over the uncertainty of where exactly they stood, and stepped towards him. A momentary look of surprised crossed Al's face before she cupped his face in her hands and went up on her toes to plant a firm yet tender kiss on his lips. She only pulled back slightly to respond to his question.

"I'm perfect."

* * *

 **A/N: They're some of my favorites to write. We will next see this day from Alice and Malcolm's POVs, then we go back to Al and Erin! That chapter will coincide with the one I will be posting today in SALF. So make sure you read chapter 37 of that story first!**


	10. Confront - Alice & Malcolm

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 33 - _Something in the way she moves._**

* * *

\- _Alice_ -

"Need a refill?"

Alice pulled herself out of her inner musings at the familiar sound of Malcolm Bray's voice. She turned to him and smiled as he approached her table, thankful for the distraction he brought. Her thoughts had been securely focused on the rather unpleasant presence of a certain wedding guest, and she didn't want to waste the day thinking about that. It surprised her to note that Malcolm's company would have been perfectly acceptable to her no matter what the occasion, even if she was still insisting on keeping her distance from him.

"Just about," she said, taking the last sip of her wine. He nodded towards the drink table and she stood to follow him. They'd met in passing a few more times since he'd shown up at her flat, but it was Teddy and Victoire's joint stag and hen party that had her truly considering letting him in just a bit more. They'd actually been able to have a normal conversation once again, and it almost pained Alice to realize how much she'd enjoyed it. Every time she'd seen him, he'd been perfectly agreeable and nowhere near over eager like she had feared. She didn't want to be pressured or guilted into anything, and even though she knew he wanted to take things past friendship, he was doing a remarkable job of showing patience. Alice found it endeared him to her even more.

There was no part of her that didn't like Malcolm Bray. He was kind and honest and responsible, not to mention handsome in a boyish way. And he really had shown himself to be mature and understanding by the way he'd handled their somewhat complicated relationship. It almost made Alice feel ashamed of herself to realise the only reason there was anything complicated about their relationship was because of her. He was being much more adult about it than she was. She'd realized this the night of the hen and stag party and had decided to make an effort to at least show some warmth in the way she interacted with him. As she followed him to the drink table, she felt delighted to realize she'd managed to do that just now.

"More wine?" he asked as they reached the drink table. Alice nodded and soon found herself holding a fresh beverage.

"To the happy couple," he said with a soft smile, clinking his own glass of wine against hers before taking a sip. Alice smiled and did the same.

"I didn't realize your brother was training to be an Auror," Malcolm said as they stood on the edge of the dance floor. "We were sitting at the same table with some of Teddy's coworkers that I know," he explained.

"Yes, Ethan sort of surprised us all with that," Alice said affectionately. "He'd always been rather soft spoken, very unlike Teddy and all the other's we'd known that pursued that career. We knew he was brilliant, but he sort of flew under the radar for awhile. We're all very proud, though. He's doing excellent from what Teddy and Harry say."

"You're rather close with the whole family, then," he said after taking another sip of his wine. "I noticed it even more the other night at the party. For such a large group you're all rather tight knit."

Alice had to chuckle at this. "I'm afraid we are. That's what happens when you grow up as children of war heroes. They're not exactly trusting of outsiders so they tend to stick to their own kind. We've sort of followed suit, but it's been nice to see others welcomed in."

She gestured onto the dance floor towards where Rose Weasley was dancing with Scorpius Malfoy, and a smirk appeared on Malcolm's face.

"It's nice to see them getting along so well. They're in the middle of some rough waters."

"Really?" Alice asked in surprise. Malcolm nodded.

"He got himself into a bit of trouble, but he'll be alright. Not sure he knows it yet, but he's got one loyal cohead. You should have seen her sticking up for him. McGonagall would have been a fool to take his badge."

"Could that have happened?" Alice asked in surprise. "That's rather rare, isn't it?"

"Yeah. And knowing McGonagall, I don't think she would have either way. Unless Rose had assured her it was necessary, at that was never going to happen."

Alice smiled, taking one last glance at the pair dancing not far from them before turning to Malcolm.

"I think it's wonderful how much you care about your students. They're whole people to you, not just essays to grade. I wish more of my professors had been that way."

"Come on," he said in a teasing tone, though his cheeks had turned slightly pink at her praise. "You mean to tell me that Ogden never offered you a homemade biscuit and asked you how your day was going?"

Alice laughed along with Malcolm at the image of the somber and ridged Transfiguration professor, who never smiled and would sooner scold a student than offer them a cup of tea if they showed any frailty.

"At least she's good at the teaching part," said Alice, and Malcolm only had time to agree with her before his attention turned to someone approaching them from behind Alice.

She barely had time to react before Liam Smith was clapping Malcolm Bray on the shoulder and the two were exchanging pleasantries. Alice felt frozen in place as her suave and disarming ex boyfriend talked to Malcolm Bray as if they were old friends.

"Wondered where you'd wandered off to," said Liam in an almost teasing tone, "and now I see you had a better idea than the rest of us."

Alice felt an extreme pit of dread forming in her stomach as he turned his attention to her, what was supposed to be a charming smile present on his face, though Alice only saw it as conniving and untrustworthy.

"How's it going, Alice? You look lovely."

She felt her whole body clench in disgust as he rested a hand on her arm and bent down to drop a kiss to her cheek. Still, she didn't make a move or say a word.

"You two know each other?" Malcolm asked curiously, and Alice felt herself relax a bit to remember that she would most likely be able to count on Malcolm to help her get out of any situation she didn't want to be in. She even felt able to answer his question and almost did before Liam spoke up instead.

"Oh, Ally and I go way back, don't we?" he said, throwing a smile at her as he grabbed a drink. "We knew each other in school."

This seemed to be enough of an explanation for Malcolm and he nodded, though he looked at her questioningly as he took a sip of his drink. It relieved her to know that he noticed something was a bit off. She'd flinched when he'd called her Ally. It was something that only her family and Victoire ever called her. She'd forgotten that he had too.

"Didn't realize you two knew each other," Liam said to Malcolm. "Though I suppose you probably knew each other in school as well."

"Not really," said Malcolm. "We only really met this year when I started working at Hogwarts."

"That's right. I heard you were at the Three Broomsticks now," said Liam, and the way he said it, almost as if he'd been keeping tabs on her, made Alice grow cold. He shouldn't know about her life. That was none of his business. The thought that he knew anything about her made her angry.

The music changed to a slower song and Liam downed his drink before he placed a hand on Malcolm's shoulder once again. He was slightly taller than the Muggle Studies professor, and Alice remembered how he'd always subtly used his size to intimidate others. It made her blood boil to see him doing it to Malcolm.

"Well, mate," he said with a smirk, "if you're not going to pluck up the courage to ask this gorgeous young lady for a dance than at least I will. D'you mind?"

Malcolm barely had time to respond before Liam had reached out and grabbed Alice's arm. At this point, her embarrassment and discomfort was far outweighed by her anger and she was able to muster the courage to throw him off. Malcolm cut off whatever he was going to say in response to Liam to look at Alice in surprise, and she knew her face was probably portraying all of her frustrations.

"I'd rather not," she said as calmly as possible. Liam rolled his eyes as if she were behaving like a child.

"Come on, Ally. Don't cause a scene and have a dance."

He reached out to grab her again, but Alice stepped away before he could reach her.

"I. Don't. Want to," she said as strongly as she could, glaring into his infuriatingly beautiful blue eyes that had tricked her into trusting him all those years ago.

"Just one dance. For old times sake," he said in a soothing voice in an attempt to coerce her. But Alice was having none of it. She couldn't believe she was in this position. How had he even been invited? He was standing close enough that she could smell the alcohol on his breath and it disgusted her to realize he'd probably already had a little too much.

"You've got to be barking mad to think I'd want anything to do with you," she forced out, knowing she was on the verge of tears and that it probably showed. A moment of relief swept through her when Malcolm stepped forward and tugged Liam backwards by the arm.

"Leave it alone, Smith," Malcolm said in a stern voice. "She's obviously not interested."

"You know nothing about it, Bray," he snapped at Malcolm. "I know our little Ally better than you do. She's always been very eager to please, haven't you, Ally?"

The look he gave her filled Alice with disgust, but more in herself than in him. It pained and embarrassed her to think of the girl she'd once been, who really had always been eager to do whatever she could to keep his attention. He was older and oh so handsome and mature. She'd done far more to keep him than she would ever be proud of, and he'd been using her to further his career all along.

"Alice, is everything okay?" Victoire asked as she and Teddy approached them, but Alice barely heard her. Malcolm was looking at her in confusion as Liam threw him off, and it was all Alice needed to see before she turned and ran towards the house and away from a past that refused to do anything but haunt her.

* * *

\- _Malcolm -_

Malcolm was a mix of shock and confusion and anger. Alice and Liam had a history? Why hadn't he known about it? It had obviously been bad, but Liam was friends with Teddy. None of this made sense, but the situation became slightly more clear with the added presence of the newly married couple.

"Liam? What the hell are you doing here?" asked Victoire, and Malcolm was sure he'd never heard her use such a disapproving tone before.

"I was invited," said Liam with a triumphant smirk, which only made Victoire scowl before she turned accusingly towards her husband.

"You're friends with this bastard?" she said in a biting tone, and poor Teddy looked between his wife, his groomsman, and his fellow Auror helplessly before responding to the first.

"You said I could invite people from work and that you trusted me to handle that," he said calmly. "We've worked a few cases together the past few months and got to know each other. What's the problem?"

"The problem," said Victoire, turning her anger away from her husband and towards Liam Smith, "is that this no good piece of shite had a little too much fun taking advantage of Alice when they dated at Hogwarts. He's not welcome here."

With that, Victoire turned and stormed up to the house and after her best friend. A rage boiled inside Malcolm and he roughly turned Liam Smith to face him. He wobbled a bit before he stared down at Malcolm indignantly.

"Hands off, Bray."

"I should be saying that to you," Malcolm snapped back. "You had no right to force your presence on her, let alone try and get her to dance with you."

"Victoire was talking shite."

"Like hell if I'm going to believe that," he snapped, anger growing more strongly in him as Alice's pained face before she ran off flashed in his mind. "She obviously didn't want you around."

Malcolm stumbled back a few steps as Smith gave him a good shove in the chest. Thankfully, they weren't in a crowded part of the pavilion and went mostly unnoticed as things escalated. Malcolm reached for his wand but stopped as Teddy laid a hand on his arm.

"I can do whatever I damn well please," Smith countered, and Malcolm could hardly take being anywhere near the arrogant bastard any longer. He was so caught up in his anger that he barely noticed when Teddy's godfather quickly approached them with a look of concern on his face.

"No, you don't," Malcolm snarled at Smith. "You've obviously done enough to Alice and it's more than clear that she wants nothing to do with you and you bloody well deserve to be despised by her. Back the hell off. Like Victoire said, you're not welcome, and you have no right to go anywhere near her."

"Fuck off, Bray," Smith snapped at him. "This is none of your concern."

"Watch it, Smith," said Harry, clearly making his presence known with his stern tone and the cold look he gave the young Auror. "You will not cause a scene at my family's home in the middle of a wedding. I don't want to have you removed but I will if I have to."

"I'm not the one causing a scene, sir," said Smith with a snarl at Malcolm. "I was just minding my own business when this prick decided to get into my face."

Malcolm's disgust grew at the lie, and he immediately thought of Alice, most likely distraught and crying wherever she'd run off too.

"I know a rather upset witch who'd beg to differ," he managed to force out. Thankfully, Teddy stepped in before Smith could speak up again.

"Liam, just leave, alright? We'll talk about this later."

Smith didn't seem too pleased with this request and almost argued with Teddy, but for all his faults, he did seem to respect his superiors, and eventually gave a stiff nod.

"Fine. Congratulations, Lupin."

He turned and left, leaving Malcolm to continue to fume as Harry asked Teddy what had happened.

"It was Alice,' Teddy explained. "Apparently they had a rough history and he's mostly to blame. I had no clue until today."

Harry's brow immediately furrowed in concern. "Did he do something to her?"

"We don't know the whole story," said Malcolm, dying to make sure Alice was alright as well as wanting to get to the bottom of things. "Victoire only said they dated in Hogwarts and that he took advantage before she ran off after Alice. I think he was a little drunk and he tried a little too hard to talk to her tonight."

Malcolm knew this was stating things a little lightley, but he didn't want to do any more harm by explaining fully what had happened. Harry nodded in understanding and Malcolm directed his gaze towards the dance floor, not trusting himself to be able to refrain from giving more away.

"Should we find Neville and Hannah?" asked Harry, and Malcolm wanted to insist for a moment that he be the one to go after her when his eyes landed on Rose and Scorpius, who were practically on the edge of the dance floor and had obviously been watching them.

"I have a better idea," he told Harry, and he didn't waste another moment before he was moving towards Rose and Scorpius, who gave up any pretense of appearing to dance as he reached them.

"Rose, do you know where Erin is?" he asked immediately.

"No, but I can find her," she said at once. Malcolm nodded, thankful that she was so eager to help.

"Okay. They went into the house and I'm going to go check on her, but I think you should get Erin."

He barely waited for Rose to nod before he moved past them and he was rushing towards the house, unable to wait one moment longer to make sure that Alice was okay.

* * *

\- _Alice_ -

It had been easier than Alice had expected to reveal to Erin and Victoire everything that had happened between herself and Liam Smith. She was also surprised how much it helped her gain perspective on not just her past, but how it was affecting her future. So when Rose said Malcolm wanted to come in and see her, it hadn't taken that long for her to realize what she had to do if she wanted to finally let someone in. And she definitely wanted to let Malcolm in.

As her sister and Rose left the room, Alice had a few moments to collect herself, and scooted forward so she sat on the edge of the bed, brushing at her cheeks in an attempt to clear off any makeup that might have been affected by her tears. She pulled at the long sleeves of the purple dress she wore, thankful that it covered her as much as it did. For some reason, it made it easier to be more vulnerable that way.

"Alice?"

Malcolm was standing in the doorway, his groomsmen attire slightly wrinkled from sitting on the stairs for almost half an hour, and his hair looking a bit disheveled, most likely from running his hands through it. He fully stepped into the room when she gave him an encouraging smile, closing the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still standing by the door, his voice laced with concern.

"I will be," she assured him. After a moment of hesitation where they just looked at each other, Alice reached out and patted the spot on the bed next to her. Malcolm immediately walked over and sat next to her, his hands resting on his knees as he continued to watch her.

"How much do you know?" she asked, certain that Victoire must have said something for him to be able to realize how upset she must be.

"Victoire just said that you dated in school and that he… well, she said he took advantage. He was the year below me, if I remember correctly, which makes him two above you?"

She nodded in confirmation. "You can see the appeal that would have had to a fifth year who mostly blended into the background."

He didn't say anything, merely watched her closely, but rather than intimidate her, it comforted her to know how much he cared.

"I guess I'll start at the beginning?"

"You don't have to tell me anything," he assured her, and Alice felt her heart melt a bit at how sincere he was.

"Malcolm, if I want to move past this… if _we_ want to move past this, then I need to tell you."

The look of surprise he wore made the courage she'd mustered up to say that completely worth it.

"I first met him when he stayed behind one day to talk to my dad after class near the beginning of the school year," she began. "I had Herbology the next period but I showed up early so I could talk to my dad about something. I don't even remember what it was anymore. The only thing I remember about that day was officially meeting Liam Smith. I knew who he was. He was on his house Quidditch team and he was attractive and charismatic. Plus all the girls talked about him and he dated around. He, however, didn't appear to have known I existed before that moment."

She paused to take a deep breath as Malcolm's undivided attention remained on her.

"After that, there were a few times I passed him in the hall and he'd say hello, and by the time Halloween rolled around, he was actually going out of his way to talk to me. He asked me out soon after, and by the time Christmas rolled around, I was in deep. Emotionally."

She'd been looking straight ahead as she spoke, but turned a bit to face him now, and was encouraged to see him do the same, one of his hands moving to rest between them on the mattress.

"I fancied myself in love and I couldn't do enough for him. At first it was doing small favors like grabbing him food if he hadn't had time to eat or running to his common room when he'd forgotten something, then it became ditching my friends to spend time with him and then it got worse."

This was going to be the hardest part, and Alice braced herself as she felt tears start to well in her eyes. She looked down to where his hand was resting on the mattress.

"I turned sixteen just after the new year, and to Liam, this meant it was time to progress certain aspects of our relationship. We hadn't done much physically, but then he started to drop hints and push things a bit until it made me feel like I owed it to him to let him in more. Like I must not actually love him like I said I did if I wouldn't have sex with him. And that our relationship would be better and more secure if we did. I grew scared that if he didn't get it from me, he'd go try and find it somewhere else. He even hinted that he would. It didn't take long for me to give in."

She saw Malcolm's hand clench into a fist and her gaze drifted up to see his face. He appeared angry, but she knew it wasn't with her.

"He never hurt me. At least, not physically. Throughout the whole time we were together," she pressed on, "I always found myself wondering why it was he was with me. I was nobody, but as it turns out, that's not entirely true."

His anger fell away and morphed into confusion before she looked away again.

"For as long as we were together, Liam would mention every now and again how much he dreamed of becoming an Auror. The only problem was, he didn't exactly have the most superb marks. He had all his O.W.L.s, but he was borderline. He'd mention this on occasion and say how much he hoped it would be enough. Then, a few months into the new year and not long after we started being more intimate, he started dropping less subtle hints about how I could help him. 'You're lucky your family is close with the Potters' he'd say. 'Your dad could pull just about any strings he wanted.' Of course, the idea of helping him being ingrained in me, it wasn't long before I was going to my dad and asking if he'd be willing to write a letter of recommendation to get Liam into the Auror Academy."

She glanced at Malcolm, and his face seemed pained for her.

"It was what he'd been after all along," she said with a resigned shrug. "I told him what I'd done and he showed his appreciation well enough, but he immediately started to pull away after that. I was confused and hurt and I couldn't understand what I had done wrong, because of course I believed it was all my fault. He'd continue to blow me off and ignore me. It went on for about a month before I was able to confront him. I don't think I'll ever forget how he looked at me and what he said. 'I'm going to be an Auror, Ally. I don't have time for silly school romances.' I think I'd sort of started to realize the truth, but I knew it fully then, and I asked if that meant he'd gotten what he wanted so that meant we were done, and he didn't deny it. I was livid and mortified and I didn't speak to him again. He graduated a month later and then he was off to be an Auror. Just like he wanted."

Alice let out a deep sigh, her eyes gazing unseeing towards the other bed in the opposite corner of the room. It had been so devastating at the time, but she was now grateful more than anything that it hadn't carried on longer. She fell silent, waiting for him to say something, and she was surprised by his question when he finally did speak up.

"Why didn't you say something?" he asked. "To your dad or to Harry or anyone?"

She gave a noncommittal shrug. "I was young and embarrassed. And I supposed I still loved him even after he hurt me. I only just told Erin and Victoire everything."

Silence reigned between them once again, and she realized she hadn't quite gotten to the point of why she was telling him all of this yet. It truly felt like a relief to unveil her past to him, and she immediately felt much more comfortable being open with him, seeing as he now knew the whole ugly truth.

"You can probably guess why I keep my distance from relationships and vulnerable situations," she said, continuing to keep her eyes off Malcolm. "I haven't been with anyone since, and until I met you, I never wanted to be."

Alice managed to work up the courage to look at him, and his expression was soft and almost hopeful.

"I'm still terrified of letting anyone in," she clarified, "but I know I want to try. I hope this explains why I've given you mixed signals and acted the way I have. It might not be easy for me, but I'm ready to be past it all, even if it still takes a little time. It might have happened a long time ago, but I've buried it for so long that it's still there. Today was the first time I really talked about it. Ever."

He nodded in understanding, leaning forward so he clasped his hands in front of him and rested his arms on his knees.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me," he said, looking at her intently. "I know that wasn't easy and I don't take it lightly."

She nodded, grateful that he understood. Knowing that he'd be unlikely to make the first move after everything she just told him, Alice scooted closer to him, resting her hand on the bed for balance before leaning forward and dropping a soft kiss on his cheek. He turned to look at her as she pulled back, and Alice's breathing sped up as his warm brown eyes locked on hers. She sat back and he sat up, resting his hand on the mattress once again and leaning slightly towards her.

"I know you've had to handle a lot today," he began, "and the last thing I want to do is pressure you. But I'm still here and I still want the same things that I told you I wanted before. I don't really care too much how long it takes, and I'm willing to follow your lead."

All of the stress and anxiety of the day and her past melted away as she took in his sincere and open gaze. Reaching up, she softly rested her fingers on his cheek, revelling in the way his eyes fluttered at her touch.

"Thank you," she said in a whisper, keeping her eyes locked on his. "For being so understanding and so patient. For being you."

He turned his head slightly so her hand rested fully against his cheek and he smiled at her.

"I have a feeling you're worth it," said Malcolm, and Alice knew she fell a little more for him in that moment. With a smile of her own, she withdrew her hand from his face and reached down to grip his hand where it rested on the mattress.

"Want to head back down?" she asked. "You can ask me for that dance you were too scared to ask for earlier."

He gave a surprised laugh at her cheek, probably because it was a reference to what had occurred earlier with Liam Smith. Alice was surprised herself, but it brought her barely any pain to think about it all now, and as she stood with Malcolm and he followed her out of the Burrow, she had a feeling it wouldn't be long before it didn't hurt at all.

* * *

 **A/N: And that does it for the wedding I think! It's possible I'll write one about Lily and Caleb, but it's not likely unless I suddenly get inspired. I do have some ideas for how that would go since I did include Lily in the original chapter, so let me know if you'd like to see it! Next time we see these two will be that visit Alice makes to Malcolm's office :)**

 **Read and review as always!**


	11. Sure - Erin

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 37 - _We've got one last chance to make it real_**

* * *

 _\- Erin -_

She'd almost managed to make it all the way to the Gryffindor common room before he caught up with her. The sound of him calling her name had grown closer over the last minute, and Erin had tried to keep a steady, fast pace. But Al's legs were longer and he was fast on the ground as well as in the air. She'd already given the Fat Lady the password when he finally reached her, grabbing her arm in an effort to turn her in his direction. Erin threw it off, but turned to face him anyway, hoping the few tears she knew had escaped down her cheeks would go unnoticed.

"Stay the hell away from me."

He looked completely bewildered, and it aggravated her even more that he truly seemed to have no clue what he'd done wrong.

"Please, just talk to me," said Al. "I want to fix this, but I won't know how unless you-"

She shoved him in the chest and he stumbled back a few feet, his eyes growing wide as he looked at her in confusion.

"I can't believe I let you do this to me!" she practically screamed at him, struggling to keep from crying once again. "I didn't want this and I didn't need it either."

He continued to stare at her, and it was almost like he had no clue what the last few months had been like. All the uncertainty that came along with the pleasure of being close to him. Maybe she wanted him, but she didn't want to have to keep doing things the way they were. It was driving her mad. She _wouldn't_ let things continue this way.

"And I shouldn't have to tell you what you did wrong!" she continued, feeling her eyes start to well up with tears once again. "I already told you. You had no right to tell him what you did. Especially since it's not true."

"Of course it's true," Al snapped back, beginning to grow agitated himself.

"No, Al," she insisted. "You can't just kiss me and tell me I look ravishing and assume everything's all sorted. There's a hell of a lot more to it."

"I know," he assured her, his voice growing louder as he watched her with wide eyes. He still didn't get it.

"You don't," she said, a tear coming loose and falling down her cheek without her permission. "You just assume I'll always be there and that you can say whatever the hell you want and I'll just go along with it. That's not how it works."

She turned to walk away and he reached out to stop her, but she quickly threw off his grip.

"Leave me alone, Al!"

"What, like how you've been ignoring me for weeks now?"

She spun around to face him.

"I haven't been-"

"Yes, you have!" he fought back. "Which I've found to be rather odd seeing as I thought we were finally on the same page. Did you change your mind or something? And now you're too afraid to tell me?"

"What the hell are you going on about?" Erin asked in confusion.

" _Us_ , damn it! You and me."

"What about _us_?"

"Do you not want to be with me?"

"You never even asked if I wanted to be with you in the first place!"

"Yes, I did!"

Silence filled the corridor and Erin stared at him in bewilderment.

"What?"

"I didn't assume anything," said Al, putting emphasis on each word as he took a step closer. "I asked you. On Christmas Eve."

It was Erin's turn to be confused. He was looking at her with so much conviction that she felt her own crack. What was he saying? Had she missed something?

"When?"

Her voice came out quiet, and his eyes softened a bit, but he let out a frustrated sigh.

"In the woods. I told you how much it meant that you'd be there once we got out into the real world. And then I asked you if you _would_ be there, just to be sure, and you told me that of course you would. I thought you understood what I meant."

His brow was furrowed and his green eyes had a hint of sorrow in them, like he was disappointed in the situation and maybe even himself. Erin felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. She hadn't understood. Had he really been trying to say what she'd wanted to hear, but she'd missed it? To be fair, he hadn't exactly been clear, and she wasn't the type of person to make much out of subtleties. Especially if her assumptions would only lead to disappointment.

"I need you to be brutally honest with me," she said in a strong voice, her light blue eyes, which were probably red from her tears, boring into his. "What exactly did you mean when you asked if I'd be there?"

Finally seeming to realize the extent of the error that he'd made, his brow relaxed, and a look of understanding crossed his face. He said her name and took a small step closer, reaching out as if to touch her, but she wasn't ready to completely let her guard down. Not yet.

"No," she said with finality. "I need you to tell me. You can't just be all affectionate and assume it's going to fix whatever you've screwed up or that it'll make up for what you don't say. I'm done with all that."

He gave a nervous gulp, running a hand through his hair as he shoved the other in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Erin, I want you to be in my life. That can be in whatever context you like."

She gave a groan of exasperation and clenched her jaw as she looked at him.

"That's it? You're not even man enough to-?"

"I don't want to fucking lose you!"

Al's words silenced her, and she couldn't quite understand where they had come from. His body sagged as he rested his hands on the top of his head.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't clear," he began in a small voice. "That's my fault. I can understand if I was mistaken. If being with me isn't what you want, that's fine."

He wasn't meeting her gaze, and she knew it was because he was trying not to cry himself, based on the watery state of his beautiful green eyes. Erin couldn't remember seeing him cry since they were kids. Even then, it was a rare occurrence.

Did he really think that she was upset because he wasn't what she wanted? How many times were they going to have to miscommunicate before they got this right? She was going to have to muster a lot of courage to get through this. But she now had a strong feeling it would be worth it.

"Albus," she said, her voice filled with as much emotion as she could muster. His eyes met hers as he dropped his hands to his sides with a sigh. As she took a step closer to him, he watched her uncertainly. She stopped right in front of him, close enough that she'd barely have to move to touch him. But she didn't.

"Being with you," she began in a shaky voice. "That _is_ what I want. All you had to do was ask."

The fear and uncertainty fell from his face. His momentary sorrow in thinking she didn't want him melted away as he looked at her in shock.

"I wasn't angry because I _didn't_ want what you said to be true. I was angry because it's all I've wanted for months now. And I thought that announcing it to the Great Hall was how you decided to tell me. Which is a really shite way to do it."

Al continued to look at her in shock, but he managed to pull himself together enough to speak.

"I suppose it would be. I'm a bit of an idiot, aren't I?'

Erin felt a smile tug at her lip, but she pulled it between her teeth in an effort to stop it.

"I think we've _both_ been idiots. But I think there's still time to make up for it."

She looked up at him expectantly, and he smiled. It was small, but her stomach swooped at the sight of it. Whatever happened next, it was either about to go horribly wrong, or horribly right.

"I suppose I should do this properly?" he asked, though it came out more as a statement than a question. For a moment, it looked like he was going to try and reach out to her again, but he crossed his arms and looked down at her instead. His eyes were a combination of fear and determination, yet there was still that familiar warmth that she'd been starting to see more and more of every time he looked at her.

"I reckon I've fancied you for longer than I'd care to admit."

Her mouth dropped open in shock, but he simply gave her a quick smile before he continued.

"Since we're friends, I was too scared to do anything about it. I also talked myself into the idea that I shouldn't be with anyone until I'd started my life as an Auror. It's not the easiest life to live and I never wanted to ask anyone to do that unless they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. But then you kissed me."

He paused, and Erin knew she was blushing by the way his lips twitched into a smile. His voice had been strong and steady the entire time, and he continued just the same.

"I didn't want it to mean nothing. It was all I could think about for days. But you apologized and said it was a mistake. I didn't want to lose our friendship, so I went along with it. Even though all I wanted to do was kiss you again, which I did, if you remember."

She nodded shyly, wondering exactly how much he was planning on telling her. This was already more than she'd been expecting.

"I figured I'd settle for at least being able to kiss you, if that's all you were willing to give. I didn't really let myself think it could be more until the day you said you admired your brother and anyone else who chose his career. It made me rethink everything, cause what if the girl I fancied, who also happened to be my best friend, could actually handle it? It changed for me that day, but I was worried you were still working through your Great-Gran's death and I didn't want to pressure you, so I waited. I know how you bury things and I could never really tell how much you'd actually dealt with all that. Until Christmas Eve."

It was all starting to make sense now; the changes in their relationship. He'd started showing more affection in public after that day in the Three Broomsticks. He started acting even more like they were together after their moment in the woods. She was almost embarrassed to think back on the wedding and realize how obvious he'd been.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more clear that night," he continued, his voice growing softer as his eyes searched hers. "But let me be now."

She took in a sharp breath and he nervously licked his lips.

"I care about you so much that sometimes it's painful to be away from you. I always want to know how you're doing, and I'd probably do just about anything for you. You're more than my best friend, and you deserve to be treated far better than the shoddy way I've been treating you. I'd love it if you'd give me another chance. I promise, I'll do it the right way this time. I was actually planning on seeing if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday, as our first real date."

She remembered his hesitation when Scorpius had asked if they'd all like to go, and she could no longer keep in her smile. But he wasn't quite done yet.

"I want to be with you, Erin. I want the whole thing. Holding hands in the corridor, kissing each other goodnight, and telling you everyday how much it means to have you in my life. I want it to be real. Are you up for that?"

Erin found she couldn't do anything but laugh in delight. If she'd written out word for word what she'd wanted him to say, it would have been a load of tripe compared to what he'd come up with. But he was still looking at her a little uncertainly, even though he had a slight smile on his slightly pink face. When she finally was able to answer, it came out in a whisper.

"I'm more than up for that."

His face positively lit up with delight, and she was prepared to do anything to make sure he continued to smile at her like that. At some point he'd uncrossed his arms, and she noticed his hands were now twitching at his side. His brow rose in question.

"Am I allowed to-?"

"Yes."

She'd barely breathed the word out before he'd wrapped his arms around her and began peppering her face with kisses. Winding her arms around his neck, she gave an elated laugh as he gripped her tighter. It was incredible that something as simple as this embrace felt even better than anything they'd ever done in the past. There was no hesitation anymore, now that they both knew how much the other wanted this. He began to kiss down her jaw until he buried his face in her neck, breathing her in deeply.

"Happy birthday," he mumbled into her skin, dropping a light kiss on her neck as he said it. She chuckled, running her hands up into his hair before pulling his face up to meet hers.

"Was this my present, then?" she asked with a cheeky grin. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'd been under the impression we'd already settled this, remember?"

She grimaced at her blunder, but he ran a comforting hand up her back.

"Doesn't matter as long as it's settled now, yeah?" asked Al. Erin nodded, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't managed to screw this up already. He bumped his nose against hers, a smile on his lips as he pulled one arm away from her to reach into his pocket. Erin watched as he pulled out a small black box. She drew her arms back and took it as he handed it to her, letting out a small gasp when she opened it and saw the small and simple square cut amethyst hanging on a delicate silver chain.

"I was planning on giving it to you when I asked if you wanted to go out on Saturday, but..."

She nodded, her eyes still on the necklace for a moment before she looked up at his questioning eyes.

"It's beautiful," she assured him, taking it out of the box before allowing him to fasten it around her neck. It made her giddy to see how happy he was, his eyes holding nothing but sincerity as they gazed into hers.

"No more messing around, yeah?" he asked. Erin stepped closer and his hands went to her waist as hers went to his cheeks. She nodded before closing the distance between them, and pure bliss ran through her as his lips met hers. It was long and tender and perfect and even better than before. It was completely honest and open. The only thing close to this was when they'd been in the woods.

With a jolt, she realized that Christmas Eve had actually been the last time they'd kissed. _Really_ kissed. She'd kissed him once at the wedding, and he'd managed to get in a few pecks here and there, but she'd been so distant. Knowing what he'd believed about their relationship for the past month, she suddenly felt guilty.

She reluctantly broke the kiss, breathing heavily as her hands continued to rest on either side of his face.

"I'm so sorry," she managed to say. He looked at her quizzically.

"I've been awful to you for weeks because I was fed up with you not saying anything, and all this time, you thought you had."

He gave her a small smile. "It's alright. And you weren't awful. Like I said, I figured you were just second guessing things. Especially with the whole trying to curse Prince incident ."

"I wasn't," she assured him, her thumb stroking his cheek. "Well, at least, I wasn't second guessing how I feel about you."

She blushed at her words, remembering the first night of term. After she'd run out of the Head's common room, he'd followed and asked what was wrong. If she remembered correctly, the only things she'd said was, "I'm fine," and, "drop it, Al."

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. "You're right about how I tend to bury things. Rose actually gave me a talking to about that the first week of term."

He chuckled lightly, and Erin felt it just as much as she heard it with his forehead against hers. "Sounds like Rose."

"It sort of worked, actually," said Erin, moving back to look him in the eye again. She grew nervous as she prepared to say her next words. "It was the first time I fully admitted to anyone how I feel about you. Including myself."

He was looking at her intently, and the way his hands flexed on her waist told her he was some combination of anxious and excited.

"And how _do_ you feel, exactly?"

She knew he was going to ask that as soon as she'd brought it up, but he'd been honest with her, right? She could tell him at least part of what she told Rose. Moving her hands from his face, she trailed them down his arms until she reached his wrists, pulling his hands away from her hips and linking their fingers together. Her words came out in a whisper.

"I'm falling for you, Al. Hard. And I didn't see it coming. And it's bloody terrifying."

He didn't smile and he didn't laugh; he just looked at her, more intently than he ever had before. Her heart was racing with anticipation and a bit of fear. This type of vulnerability wasn't something she did. She was a split second from turning and running away as fast as she could, but he gripped her hands tighter and pulled her closer. Erin rested her forehead on his chest, hiding the flush that was probably going to be gracing her cheeks for at least the rest of the day. He kissed the top of her head.

"Hey," he whispered, and she risked looking up at him. His eyes were shining with delight as his mouth twitched into a crooked grin.

"Never be afraid to tell me how you feel, alright? I'd actually prefer it if you did it every bloody day."

Erin laughed, a sense of relief flooding through her that she hadn't scared him off. She pushed up onto her tiptoes, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"As long as you do the same," she murmured, between kisses. "I'll look like a bloody sap otherwise."

He chuckled as she kissed him again, and then released her hands so he could wrap his arms around her waist. Erin wound hers around his neck and gave a squeal of surprise as he lifted her off her feet. She felt him grin into the kiss before he moved his mouth against hers, deepening it in just the right way. He let out a groan of frustration when they heard footsteps coming down the corridor.

Setting her down, he pulled away, but Erin pulled him back in for one last lingering kiss, right as whoever was coming moved in sight of the portrait hole. What she didn't expect was to hear someone give a cheer. Pulling away and breathing heavily, they turned their heads to look down the corridor, and saw Lily, Louis, and Caleb heading their way.

Lily was beaming as she started jogging towards them. Caleb was grinning - though Erin noted he was watching Lily - and Louis looked like he wished he hadn't witnessed them snogging. Al seemed determined to keep his arms around Erin, which she didn't mind too much, but she removed her arms from around his neck and gripped his shoulders. He released her with a sigh and laced their fingers together as his sister reached them.

"Was Al telling the truth?" Lily asked. "Are you two together? Like _really_ together?"

Al rolled his eyes, mostly because it was his little sister asking, but Erin laughed at Lily's eager expression.

"Lily-"

"Don't tell me it's none of my business," she said, cutting her brother off with an annoyed look. "I actually care that you're happy, you know."

Al looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Fine," he relented. "Yeah, we're together."

Erin grinned at both his words and the way he was barely able to contain a smile while trying to stay annoyed at his sister.

"Yeah," said Erin, and Al looked down at her. She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but do the same.

"We're _really_ together."

* * *

 **A/N: OH THE FLUFF! I don't care though. They're my favorites. So much happiness in writing this. Hope you enjoy! Please review!**


	12. Visit - Malcolm

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapter 35**

* * *

- _Malcolm-_

All week, Malcolm's mind hadn't strayed far from what had happened at the wedding. He'd been sure it would all end poorly, but then the evening had taken a turn he hadn't been expecting and was very much pleased with. After Alice had opened up and told him far more than he'd been expecting, they'd gone back out to the reception and he had asked for that dance he'd been too timid to ask for earlier. And it was perfect.

Thinking about it now, even though Alice's honesty had shocked him, he was thankful for it. Everything else made more sense. How she'd acted after he'd kissed her on Halloween was understandable based on her history and experience. He felt more at ease with whatever slow progression was in front of them, knowing that she actually wanted there to be progress.

They'd left things open ended, but Alice had asked if she'd see him at the pub the weekend after term started. He'd assured her he'd do his best to make his way into town, and he fully planned on doing so.

As he sat in his office, grading essays while Scorpius Malfoy served his detention on Friday night, Malcolm's mind began to wander once again to those last few moments of Teddy and Victoire's wedding, when he'd held Alice in his arms and she'd smiled and laughed and moved effortlessly with him around the dance floor. She had such a simple beauty to her and he couldn't believe how quickly he was becoming caught up in her. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough, and relief filled him as the clock on his wall chimed eight.

"You're free to go, Mr. Malfoy," he told his student, noting that all the work had been done and he'd have to come up with something else for him to do tomorrow. He turned to focus back on the essay he was trying to grade as Scorpius got up to leave, but he was distracted once again by a knock on his office door.

He looked up in surprise, not having a clue who could be stopping by to see him this late on a Friday night. It could be the Headmistress or a fellow professor, but most definitely not a student. With a nod towards Scorpius, his student opened the door, blocking whomever was out there from view as he stood in the gap. Malcolm was surprised to hear a feminine voice greet Scorpius, who stepped out of the way and opened the door fully, grinning as he revealed Malcolm's guest.

"Alice," he said in surprise, a smile growing on his face as his eyes met her nervous ones. "Come in."

She smiled at him, looking as beautiful as ever and giving Scorpius a quick glance as she stepped into the room. "I stuck around after dinner to spend time with my dad and thought I'd stop in before I head out. Is that alright?"

It was very much alright, and he wanted to kick himself for having dinner in his office that evening rather than the Great Hall. He was about to respond before he remembered they weren't alone, and he gave Scorpius a pointed look.

"I'll leave you to it then, shall I?" said Scorpius, and Malcolm gave him a nod of appreciation, feeling generous and telling him he needn't worry about serving detention on Saturday since he'd gotten all of the work done. Scorpius thanked him and quickly left, letting the door snap shut behind him and leaving Malcolm nervous upon finding himself suddenly alone with Alice.

"I didn't realize you'd be here tonight," he said, leading her over to the living quarters off his office. There was a sitting area with a couch and a few chairs surrounding a fire, a small kitchen with a table and chairs off to the right. His bedroom and bath were just off the kitchen and he was thankful that the place was reasonably tidy as he took off his robes and hung them by the door before he went to make them some tea.

"I normally come for dinner on Wednesdays," said Alice as she took a seat on his couch, "but I had to cover a shift so I changed my plans. This is nice," she said, gesturing around her to his humble quarters.

"It's not bad," he said, tapping the tea kettle with his wand so the water boiled before pouring them each a cup of lemon zinger. "Better than some of the other professor's quarters. I actually have windows."

She chuckled as he came and sat next to her on the couch and handed her a cup of tea. Alice sipped it gratefully and Malcolm did the same.

"Did you have a good first week back?" she asked, setting her half finished tea on the coffee table in front of them.

"Not bad. I've had to oversee detention every night this week but it was alright. Scorpius isn't the type of student that causes any problems."

"Was the detention because of whatever rough waters you referred to at the wedding?"

He nodded. "He'll be fine, just like I said. Actually got away with some pretty minimal consequences, but he's a first offender and an upstanding student. Better to correct them and trust them to learn from their mistakes than to take everything they've earned away in punishment."

Alice smiled as he set his tea next to hers.

"Have I told you how much I admire your attitude towards your students?"

Malcolm grew a little hot under his collar at her words and her gaze. There wasn't anything untoward about either, but there was something in her eyes that made him even more sure she saw him as more than a friend. He cleared his throat and loosened his tie, leaning back into the couch and stretching his arm along the back of it.

"You've mentioned something like that," he said with a small smile. "Is there anything else you admire about me?"

To his surprise, Alice didn't shy away from the teasing question, instead pulling her legs up under herself and turning to face him. She propped her chin in her hand and rested her elbow on the back of the couch, her arm almost touching his as she scrutinized him teasingly.

"You make a wonderful cup of lemon zinger."

The serious tone with which she said it had Malcolm laughing.

"High praise," he said with a smile before turning serious himself. "You make a fantastic apple crumble."

The sound of her surprised laughter filled the room as she threw her head back and momentarily rested her hand on his arm that was extended across the back of the couch. Her hand was under her chin once again a moment later as she grinned cheekily.

"We have a cook at the pub that makes that, actually. But thanks anyway."

They shared an amused chuckle, and Malcolm realized that they'd somehow moved closer together. He confidently took the opportunity to scoot even closer so that his arm was now fully behind her. His movement forced her to lift her elbow, but she merely rested it sideways on top of his arm so that her hand was now hanging down between them.

"And you look lovely, by the way," he said, having not failed to notice that she'd put in some effort. Her wavy hair was pulled back into an elegant ponytail and she was dressed casually, but her jumper and jeans were nicer than what would probably be called her everyday clothes. The warm burgandy of her jumper brought out the warmth in her eyes and the rosieness of her cheeks, which turned even pinker at his compliment.

"Thanks," she said. "You look rather formal."

Alice reached out and gave a tug on his tie.

"They make me wear this," he said, looking down at his tie as she continued to fiddle with the end of it. "It's only fair, seeing as the kids have to."

He looked back up at Alice and she nodded, her eyes focused on where her fingers continued to hold onto his tie. She seemed to shake herself out of whatever daze she'd fallen into and smiled up at him, placing both her hands in her lap.

"How're things at the pub?" he asked after a few beats of silence. She took to the change of topic eagerly, filling him in on her new staffing changes.

"I had someone leave just after Halloween and I only managed to find a permanent replacement before Christmas. I've been training her myself and she's doing well so far. She's just a few years younger than me so it's been nice to have someone close to my age. I don't really have many of those around."

"I get what you mean," he said with an understanding smile. "I'm the youngest professor by almost a decade. It was a breath of fresh air to meet you in the pub that day, in more ways than one."

Alice gave a pleased smile at his comment. "I felt the same."

She took another sip of her tea before placing it back on the table next to his.

"I have to admit," she said almost hesitantly, "I wasn't quite expecting...well...this."

Malcolm was surprised, but tried not to let it show. He hadn't been expecting her to so openly address what was going on between them.

"I didn't either," he told her honestly, and she gave him a timid smile.

"Is this weird for you?" she asked "Since you work with my dad?"

"Well," Malcolm said slowly, thinking over the rather straightforward question. "To be honest, I haven't thought about it too much. Neville and I get along well and we've become something like friends. I guess that makes the whole thing less intimidating."

She nodded, seeming pleased with his response.

"Good. Because I told him tonight that I plan on continuing to see you so he'd have fair warning. I don't want him finding out some other way and thinking we're sneaking around or anything."

Malcolm was sure the surprise he felt at her actions was showing on his face, and Alice looked concerned for a moment that she'd overstepped.

"I'll talk to him too," he said to reassure her. "Just because it would be the awkward elephant in the room if I didn't."

"Right," Alice said with a nod. "It's not like you need permission or anything. But full disclosure is important. Not that you need to give him details."

She was slightly pink now, and he was sure it had taken quite the effort on her part to take all of these steps in one night. If there were two things he'd taken away from what he'd learned at the wedding, it was that Alice wanted to overcome her fears, and that one of those fears was that whoever she let in would be just as uncaring and manipulative as her ex. To Malcolm, that meant watching to make sure she was comfortable, and then doing what he could to reassure her that not only did he want her, but he truly cared for her.

She was looking at him intently now, and Malcolm felt a rush of heat and excitement. Going off his instincts, he reached towards her and slipped his hand into one of hers. His arm that was still on the back of the couch moved down behind her until it was wrapped around her waist. She inhaled deeply, her eyes keeping contact with his as he moved forward while pulling her closer. She gripped his hand and her other one went back to his tie, and Malcolm grinned as she assisted in pulling them closer to each other. He watched transfixed as she licked her lips, reading in her eyes that she wanted this just as much as he did, before she rose up onto her knees.

She hesitated for a moment, looking down at him before placing a hesitant kiss on his lips. Malcolm felt it down to his toes and managed to kiss her back almost as soon as she pulled away. Her eyes had closed and they fluttered open and searched his for a moment before she leaned down to press her lips to his once more, and this time, neither of them pulled away. Malcolm's hand slipped out of hers and joined his other arm around her waist as Alice breathed deeply and ran her hands through his hair, both of them quickly sinking into the kiss.

She smelled like sugar and honeysuckle and her lips were soft against his. He pressed his hands into her back and responded in kind as she only just moved her mouth against his. Boldly, Malcolm deepened the kiss by pulling her lower lip into his mouth, and was rewarded by a light moan on her part that vibrated through him. He was determined to followed her lead, and took this as encouragement to pull her closer. Alice moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders, her touch delicate. She surprised him once again by swinging a leg over his lap so her knees were planted on the couch on either side of him, her mouth still firmly attached to his. He could feel the heat radiating off of her as his hands moved to her hips and she opened her mouth against his as her arms wound around his neck. He was sure she could feel his heart beating wildly as her chest pressed against his. Malcolm wanted nothing more than to pull her down onto his lap, but he hesitated, thinking that might be too much too soon. Instead, he ran his hands down her warm, jean clad thighs before slowly trailing them back up again and gripping her sweater at her slender waist.

With one last nip at her lower lip, Malcolm broke away to catch his breath, both of them heavily inhaling and exhaling. The reprieve only lasted a moment before Alice was kissing him once again, her mouth moving exquisitely against his own. He could hardly believe this was happening, and he was having a difficult time not second guessing it all. His concerns were starting to distract him to the point where he didn't want to continue without addressing them.

"Alice?" he said as he broke away again, his voice coming out rough and hoarse.

"Hmm?" was all the response she uttered, her eyes closed as she breathed heavily and rested her forehead against his. He rested his hands on her hips and breathed her in, knowing his next words could ruin their moment.

"Are you sure about this?"

Her whole body sighed and she opened her eyes, lowering herself down to sit on his lap, placing herself safely on his thighs. Malcolm drank her in. His hands had stayed low, so her hair was still in place, but her face was flushed and her lips had already started to swell. She had a dreamy and content look on her face as she rested a hand on his chest.

"I know I ran off last time," she said once she'd caught her breath, "so you have every right to be concerned about that. But I didn't trust you then."

Malcolm tried very hard not to be offended, and she must have read this in his expression.

"Just because I didn't really know you," she clarified. "A lot's changed since then. _I've_ changed since then. I'm not as afraid anymore, and I think that has more to do with you than anything else."

Malcolm smiled, set at ease by her words.

"On the other hand," she continued, her expression turning nervous as she looked down and began fiddling with his tie, "I do want to take this slow, and I realize this goes somewhat against that."

She seemed almost embarrassed and he realized she was about to move away from him. Before she could, Malcolm sat forward and snaked his arms around her waist. She looked at him in question and he placed a quick and reassuring peck on her cheek.

"We can go as slow as you want," he assured her, "but I also don't want you to let your past completely dictate how we do things. I'm not him. I want you for the remarkable person you are, Alice. I have no plans to use you or manipulate you. I'm not going to get whatever it is I want and then ditch you. There's not a single part of you that I don't want to get to know, and I'd be crazy to do anything that could screw this up. I don't think I'll ever get enough of you."

He was slightly surprised to see her eyes glistening with tears at his words, but she didn't cry. Instead, she rested a hand gently on his cheek, her fingers soft and warm as they ran along his cheek bone.

"I know something else I admire about you," she said quietly. Malcolm's lips twitched in delighted amusement as her fingers moved down to trace his lips.

"What's that?" he asked in a whisper.

Alice let out a sigh, her gaze moving from his lips to his eyes.

"Your honesty."

He smiled at her. "I admire yours as well."

She chuckled, both of her hands moving to either side of his face and her eyes closing as she scooted slightly closer to him and rested her forehead on his once more.

"You've made it very easy. Thank you for being so understanding."

Malcolm wanted desperately to kiss her again, but he waited, knowing this was important.

"I'm not going to pressure you into anything," he assured her, "and I don't think even _I'm_ ready to take things much further tonight."

She breathed deeply, either from relief or contentment, he wasn't sure. Maybe even a combination of the two.

"But I'd be more than happy if you stayed just a little while longer."

Alice grinned in delight as her arms wrapped around his neck, and Malcolm gave into his earlier temptation to kiss her, his lips gently meeting hers before she responded enthusiastically. And with all his uncertainties and doubts sufficiently squashed, he let himself take in the moment fully as Alice rose up on her knees once again and Malcolm leaned into the back of the couch, pulling her with him and losing himself in the feel of her lips on his.

* * *

 **A/N: I've been sitting on this one for awhile and realized I never posted it. Hope you enjoy! I love the two of them :)**


	13. Wait - Erin & Al

A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith_ : Chapters 44 & 45

* * *

- _Erin-_

"You're crushing my hand," Erin whispered harshly as she and Al waited for her father to open his office door. They'd meant to be here hours ago, but Al kept putting it off, even using his homework as an excuse. It was now over an hour past dinner.

"Sorry," Al said, letting out a nervous laugh as he loosened his grip, his other hand going up to run through his hair.

"There's nothing for you to be-"

Her reassurance was cut short when the Herbology professor opened his office door. He looked surprised for a moment before smiling warmly at them both.

"This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

They both stood there silently, waiting for the other to explain, before Erin elbowed Al in the side rather roughly.

"Yes, Professor," he started rather stiffly, and corrected himself when his godfather gave him a pointed look "Neville, sorry, um… do you have a moment?"

Neville looked at them with a raised brow. "I suppose so. Come on in."

He stepped back and ushered them into the room. Erin had always liked her dad's office. It was round with windows overlooking the lake, and plants were scattered everywhere. Neville lead them to a room adjacent that was meant to serve as living quarters, but her father normally flooed home to be with her mother most nights. He whipped up a pot of tea, setting it on the table between the couch and the fire before he sat in the armchair by the hearth.

"So," he said, gesturing for them to take the couch as he stirred some sugar into his tea. "Is this about anything in particular? Everything okay?"

Al and Erin sat on the couch with a good foot of space between them, awkwardly silent as Neville looked at them expectantly. After a few moments, Al looked at Erin, his expression clearly signaling that he expected her to do the talking.

"No way," she said with a chuckle, crossing her arms and giving him a defiant look. "This was your idea. You're doing the talking."

Al gulped nervously, but still managed to give her a look of annoyance before looking back at her father. He took a deep breath before letting it out quickly, his hands white as they gripped his knees.

"So, we're dating."

Neville gave a snort of amusement, his eyes smiling. "I've noticed."

Erin felt her face turning red as she looked between her boyfriend and her father, sinking further back into the couch.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner," Al continued with a little more confidence. "I know I can always come to you with anything, but since it was Erin…"

He trailed off, glancing at Erin nervously before looking back at his godfather.

"I can see how that would be difficult," Neville said, and Al relaxed a little more. Erin gave a sigh of relief and reached forward to pour herself and Al cups of tea, thankful that she was able to focus on something other than the awkward conversation she was currently a part of.

"So," Neville said, pausing to take a sip of his tea. "Seeing as you actually came to tell me what's going on between the two of you, I'm guessing it's not just for laughs?"

Erin did her best not to drop the tea kettle at the question, and was thankful that Al now seemed comfortable handling the conversation.

"We sort of pretended like it was, at first," Al admitted, "but no, not just for laughs."

He looked at Erin as she turned to hand him his tea and gave her a small smile, and just like that, she no longer cared that their current situation was slightly uncomfortable. And she remembered what had been said at lunch almost a week ago that hadn't actually been said. It wasn't just for laughs. He wasn't messing around. And even though he hadn't explicitly said it yet, he loved her.

It gave her the confidence to scoot closer to him. She handed Al his tea before resting her hand on his free one that was still gripping his knee. He fully grinned at her and turned over his hand, slipping his fingers between hers as he looked back at Neville. Erin nervously turned her gaze to him too, and was relieved to see that her father was smiling at them.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised, and I can't say I'm disappointed either."

It was mind boggling to Erin to watch as her boyfriend and her father continued to chat good naturedly with each other. It wasn't as if it had never happened before. Al was her father's godson after all, and the two had always been close. Some of their conversation was about the two of them - including stories from their childhood - and some was about just life in general. She even found herself chiming in from time to time. At the same time that it was bizarre, it also felt so incredibly normal. And it was thrilling.

"I think that went well," Al said with a sigh of relief when they left an hour later.

Erin laughed, swinging their clasped hands together between them, adrenaline running through her as she remembered the confident and proud look Al wore when her dad shook his hand and told him to look out for her, even though she'd protested the sentiment.

"It went fantastic," she said. "You were brilliant."

"Yeah?" he said with an amused chuckle. "How brilliant?"

A playful smirk appeared on her face as she stopped and held both of his hands in hers.

"So brilliant," she said, walking backwards and pulling him with her until she was leaning against the wall, "that I think we should find a nice abandoned classroom for me to snog you silly in."

Al chuckled, ducking down to place a teasing kiss on Erin's lips that had her letting out a groan in disappointment when he pulled back, lifting up their joined hands to check his watch.

"It's less than half an hour till curfew," he said with a resigned sigh. Erin only had a moment to be disappointed before an idea struck her.

"Don't you have the map?"

"It's in my dorm."

She gave him a challenging look, pulling him closer and rising up on her toes to place a kiss just below his ear. She heard and felt him give a gulp in what she assumed to be excitement before she found herself being pulled behind him down the corridors and towards the dungeons.

A party was already underway in the common room and they slipped through reasonably undetected. His dorm room was deserted, and Erin realized with a jolt that she'd never actually been in it before. It was strikingly different from the Gryffindor ones, darker and cooler, but not unwelcome. The lamps on the walls almost made it feel cozy rather than eerie, and she imagined she could get used to the concrete floors that were covered in Slytherin colored rugs.

Al was digging through his trunk and Erin walked further into the room, taking in his bed and everything surrounding it. He had a Slytherin Quidditch banner hanging to the right of the headboard and a small Puddlemere pin up next to it. There was a picture of his family stuck there as well, and she smiled when she saw there was also one of the two of them and Rose and Scorpius from Teddy and Victoire's wedding. She stepped forward to get a closer look, realizing she'd never seen it before. Al and Rose stood in the middle with her and Scorpius on either side. Scorpius had his arm around Rose's shoulders and they were smiling, Rose occasionally chuckling at something unknown, and it made Erin happy to realize that even then, when things weren't perfect, they still seemed thrilled to be in each other's presence.

Her gaze shifted to herself and Al. While Rose and Scorpius were standing close to each other, she appeared to be practically glued to Al's side. His arm was around her waist and his hand was resting on her hip. Her body was turned into his and one of her arms was behind his back while her other hand rested on his chest. She was beaming at the camera, but Al was only glancing up at it occasionally. His eyes were directed down at her and his smile was exquisite. She didn't know if she'd ever seen him look happier. And it was because of her.

Her mind went back to that day. She'd been a combination of happy and frustrated. Happy, because he'd danced with her and made her feel like the only girl in the room. Frustrated, because he hadn't been completely upfront with what he wanted and she was growing impatient. But she didn't know the whole story. And she did now.

"Got it!" Al said triumphantly. She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing with the map in his hand and a pleased look on his face.

"I don't think I've seen this before," she said, pointing at the picture and turning back to look at it, finding it hard to tear her eyes away. "Is that the one your Uncle Charlie took?"

She heard Al walking up behind her and relaxed into him when his arms wrapped around her waist and his cheek rested against the side of her head.

"Yeah. He sent it to me about a month ago, along with his congratulations on my ability to land such a smashing bird like you, and his assurances that I'd be an idiot to screw it up."

Erin chuckled, leaning her head back so she could kiss him on the cheek. He turned his face towards hers, looking into her eyes for a moment before his mouth easily found hers. Warmth spread through her as she basked in the familiarity of something that she knew would never get old. She crossed her arms and placed her hands on his, gripping them and turning so she was facing him, the map falling forgotten to the floor.

Their fingers laced together as she kissed him more insistently. And then she was pulling on his hands and turning and stepping backwards until the back of her legs hit the bed.

Al broke away, his breathing slightly labored and his eyes widening as she sat. She released his hands and ran her fingers up his arms. He was wearing a simple gray hoodie, most likely with a t-shirt underneath, and dark jeans that showed off just a bit of his pants where his sweatshirt had ridden up. It was all ridiculously tempting.

And he was looking at her questioningly, and she knew exactly what she wanted.

Spreading her own jean clad legs as they dangled off the edge of the bed and doing her best not to laugh at the way his eyes somehow grew even bigger, she gripped his arms and pulled him closer, kissing him soundly and swallowing his gasp of surprise as he fell forward and his hands landed on the bed on either side of her. Erin worried for a moment that he would immediately pull away, but he didn't, and kissed her back with an amount of passion that she wasn't sure they had ever reached before. It made her dizzy, the way his mouth expertly coerced her lips into parting so he could flick the tip of her tongue with his own. She felt it down to her toes.

Her hands flew to his hips and made their way under his sweatshirt. Slowly, she started moving her hands up his sides, his sweatshirt working its way up his torso as she went. It bunched up under his arms and he pulled away, standing up so he could pull it over his head. He chucked it onto the floor as she scooted further back onto the bed. He hesitated for a moment before resting his knee on the bed between her legs, leaning forward as she leaned back until she was completely horizontal and lying on Al's bed.

She was lying on Albus Potter's bed. And Albus Potter was hovering over her. One knee between her legs and the other close to her hip.

He was kissing her again, and she got swept away in the feeling of being in such close proximity to the boy that she loved.

The man she loved.

Al pulled his mouth away from hers but immediately began kissing along her jaw and down her neck. None of this was new, save the whole being in a rather vulnerable position on his bed. But she found she wanted more. She was ready for more.

She pulled at his t-shirt and he sucked in a breath when her hands made contact with his bare back. But he didn't let it distract him for long and was soon moving back up her throat until his mouth was suddenly on hers once more. Erin let her hands wander up and down the muscular plains of his back and down his sides. He laughed against her mouth when her hands roamed around to his front and she traced his stomach with her fingers.

"That tickles," he said, his lips still brushing against hers.

"Sorry," she said with a giggle, taking the opportunity of their momentary break in snogging to pull his t-shirt over his head. He sat up so he could pull it down his arms and fling it across the room. She laughed, both at the amusing state of his hair and the disbelief that this was actually happening. What she wasn't expecting was for him to look at her nervously.

"Gotta admit," he said a bit breathlessly, "doesn't really help the ego when your response to seeing me half naked is to laugh."

This just made Erin laugh again, and she shook her head against his comforter.

"Don't worry," she assured him, grabbing his arms and pulling him back down so he was hovering over her, his hands braced on either side of her head. "I've got no complaints."

She ran her hands over his toned chest and he grinned down at her.

"I'm just happy," she said with a sigh.

"Yeah?" he said with a quirked eyebrow and a crooked grin. "And why's that?"

Erin closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh as her eyes fluttered open. Al's green eyes were boring into hers and her heart started pounding in her chest.

"Because I love you."

The seconds that passed seemed like hours as she waited for him to say it back. Her hand was resting over his heart and she could feel it beating as his smile practically lit up the room. Lowering himself down so he was now resting on his forearms, he brushed his lips against her cheek, then her other cheek, and then her mouth.

"I love you too," he murmured against her lips. And her arms flew around his neck and she pulled him down on top of her, not caring that his chest was pressing her into the mattress as she kissed him recklessly. The feeling of him pressed up against her was exhilarating, but it wasn't enough.

With a considerable amount of effort, she pushed at his chest until he was propping himself up by his hands once again. Without wasting a moment to think about what she was doing, she grabbed the bottom of her sweater, arching herself off the bed so she could pull it over her head. She let it fall behind her and onto the floor as her eyes rapidly searched his face for a sign that she'd made the right choice. Al's eyes were locked on her face as if forcing himself not to look any lower as his breathing came in quick and heavy bursts. Erin could feel her own chest rising and falling rapidly, and she tried not to be self conscious about the rather plain gray bra she was wearing.

The seconds ticked by as Al closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths, most likely in an attempt to calm his heart rate.

"Al?"

His name crossed her lips in a hesitant whisper, and he let out a breath of disbelieving laughter before he opened his eyes and met her gaze. He gave her a quick smile and then his lips were on hers before briskly moving down her neck. Erin wound her hands into his hair as he continued to move lower, reaching her collarbone. She was breathing heavily as his kisses became light and delicate across her chest. Her breathing stopped all together when he brought a hand up to rest on her stomach and placed a kiss right between her breasts.

"Merlin, you're beautiful," he spoke into her skin. Erin let out a puff of laughter, relief running through her as his hand moved to her side. Her hands gripped his hair tightly, and then she was pulling his face back up to hers and kissing him hungrily. She trailed her hands down the back of his neck and onto his shoulders before pulling her lips away from his and attaching them to his neck. Her hands continued to move down his back until her fingers brushed against where his pants were sticking out of his jeans.

She heard him whispering her name as he tugged at her earlobe with his teeth, his hand sliding up her side until his thumb hit the bottom edge of her bra. Erin did her best to focus as she brought her hands around to his stomach and slowly edged her fingers closer to their intended destination. As soon as they found the button on his jeans, he froze.

"Erin?" he said, this time more clearly and as a question. But she didn't respond, focusing instead on her task at hand as she worked to blindly unfasten his jeans. He gave a sharp intake of breath and his hand jumped to hers, stilling them.

"What?" she said with a sigh and a hint of frustration.

"Um… I'm just not sure…" he began uncertainly, and Erin took advantage of his hesitation to lean forward and attack his neck with her lips. Al had to remove his hand from hers to brace himself on the bed at her action, and she immediately took the opportunity to undo his jeans. This time, he didn't make a move to stop her, and she slowly began to lower the zipper, ignoring the nerves and uncertainty that were racing through her at her actions. Because she knew that she really did want this. He loved her and she loved him and she could feel it with every fiber of her being.

Slowly, as Al began to kiss his way down towards her chest, she let her fingers barely slip under the waistband of his pants, her breathing accelerated as he nipped at the skin above her left breast. The next moment, she quickly shoved her whole hand into his pants, but Al immediately sat straight up and had both of her hands in his.

"Erin, wait," he said, obviously a bit dazed and trying to regain some control of the situation. She slowly took him in as he knelt over her. His skin was flushed and his chest was heaving as he tried to regulate his breathing. His jeans had fallen even lower and were barely hanging on his hips. She could clearly see the green plaid of his pants in the dim lighting of the dormitory.

When he continued to do nothing, she tugged her hands free and reached forward, looping her fingers into his belt loops and beginning to tug his jeans further down. But his hands flew to hers once again.

"Stop, Erin," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes clenched shut as he tried to hold himself back. At first, she'd thought he was merely just trying to collect himself and wanted her to slow down. Now she wasn't so sure, and panic started to creep in that maybe she'd read this entire situation wrong.

"Why?" she managed to choke out.

"Because," he began, "I just… fuck, you're beautiful."

Erin flushed with pleasure and her insecurities started to slip away as his eyes raked over her in obvious appreciation. And she was soaking him in too, his Quidditch toned arms and torso going far from unnoticed as her eyes moved down to where his hip bones were sticking out over the top of his jeans. His hands were still gripping hers, and she turned her palms to face his, sliding their fingers together before she roughly pulled him back down so he was once again hovering over her, their linked hands pressed into the mattress on either side of her head.

His breathing picked up again, and she lifted her head, her lips moving slowly and sensually against his. She held back a triumphant smirk as she felt him lower himself down and closer to her. His leg was still between hers and while she couldn't feel his skin against hers, she could feel the heat radiating off of him, and it was almost an involuntary movement when she arched off the bed and rolled her hips up and pressed herself against his thigh.

And he froze again, but she was determined to keep up her momentum and continued to move her mouth against his, thankful that he responded. It wasn't until she made the same movement with her hips again, this time more intentionally, that he pulled his lips away from hers, his hands gripping hers tightly as he buried his face in the lush green comforter beside her head, letting out a muffled curse.

Erin turned her head towards him, nipping at his ear and dragging her leg up his and towards his hip.

Her eyes widened in surprise as he quickly pulled himself off of her, lying next to her on his back with his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his hands in his hair, his breathing a bit erratic. Erin propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at him nervously, waiting for him to do something.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and looked up at her, his face scrunched up in pain as he took her in.

"Damn it, I love you," he said almost regretfully, but she ignored that part, instead smiling and sitting up fully. When her hands went behind her back and she began to fiddle with the clasp on her bra, he sat up and stopped her once again, his hands resting on her shoulders.

"Wait, Erin," he said with more conviction. Her eyes searched his uncertainly as she let her hands fall to her sides and he tried to come up with whatever he was trying to say. What he eventually managed to get out had Erin wishing the floor would just open and swallow her up, completely removing her from the situation she now found herself in.

"Shit, this is… I can't do this."

She gulped nervously, trying to not let her embarrassment show as she pulled her eyes away from his apologetic gaze.

"I see," she mumbled, taking a few calming breaths and willing herself not to cry. Maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe he didn't want her after all.

She'd turned away from him, but felt the bed move as he sat up behind her. A shiver ran through her as he dropped a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder, his hand coming up to caress her arm.

"It's not that I-"

"It's okay," Erin said abruptly, pulling away and scooting towards the edge of the bed, finding she actually didn't want to hear what he had to say. Especially since it would just drive home the fact that he'd rejected her.

She bent down and picked up her jumper, pulling it over her head with her back still to him. The pounding of the music from the party reached her ears for the first time. She'd been so caught up in everything else that she hadn't noticed it before.

"I'll see you at breakfast," she told him, knowing there was a slight edge to her voice but not caring enough to try and hide it.

"Erin, wait," he said again, and her patience snapped as she spun around to face him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her imploringly.

"Haven't you told me that enough tonight?" she snapped at him. Al sighed, an explanation on his lips as he stood. But he still hadn't zipped and buttoned his jeans, and they started to slide down his hips. He made to right the situation and she took advantage of his momentary distraction to make her escape. The last thing she heard before the door slammed behind her was him calling her name once again as she kept all the emotions pouring through her in check and worked her way through the crowd of Slytherins. And it wasn't until she'd closed the curtains around her own four poster that she let herself feel all the confusion, disappointment, humiliation, and embarrassment that had hit her the moment he told her he couldn't do it.

* * *

- _Al-_

They were silent until they could no longer hear the sound of Scorpius and Rose's footsteps. Erin was now looking everywhere but at Al, and it hit home to him even more that what he'd done, or rather _hadn't_ done, had seriously impacted her confidence. He walked towards Erin until he was standing right in front of her. She kept her gaze on her feet, her bottom lip between her teeth and her hands gripping the strap of her book bag. Her wavy blonde hair was half pulled back, save a few strands that had fallen out and were hanging in front of her face.

Al let out a sigh as she continued to refuse to meet his eyes.

"It had nothing to do with not wanting you."

Erin's eyes immediately snapped up to his, her head still down. He gave her a small smile and reached forward to gently tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Last night… being with you at all, really… it's amazing," he continued, and was relieved to see a smile flicker across her mouth for a moment. "But like I said earlier, I don't want to screw this up. I think it would be best if we talk about it first."

Erin gave a timid nod, and Al gratefully reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Come on," he said, beginning to lead her down the corridor. They reached a deserted classroom and Erin took a seat at one of the desk chairs as Al shut the door behind them. He approached her and sat halfway on the desk in front of her, one foot resting on the floor and the other dangling in front of him, his arms crossed.

"How far would things have gone?" he asked quietly. "If I hadn't…"

He trailed off and watched as Erin's cheeks became a flaming red. It was odd to see her this uncomfortable and embarrassed, and as much as he didn't want to make her feel that way, it filled him with a sense of pride to know that he was one of the few people that got to see her this vulnerable. It was a testament to how much she cared about him and their relationship that she was actually going to answer his question honestly and not just brush it all off.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug and a timid voice, shrugging off her bag and dropping it on the floor next to her. "I wasn't doing a whole lot of thinking."

"This isn't your fault," he assured her, reading her expression perfectly. "I should've been more clear and told you what I was thinking."

"I didn't really give you the chance to," she owned with a small smile.

"Still," he said, letting out a sigh, "I should've tried harder. It just all became very real and scared the shit out of me."

Erin's timid demeanor fell away to be replaced with a curious one. "What did? Me?"

"Actually, yeah," he said with a nervous chuckle, scratching at his chin self consciously. "I know we've talked about how reluctant I was to date at all let alone commit to a relationship. But now that I'm in one, I was still doing my best to not let it become too real. I guess a part of me still wonders if you'll change your mind and realize I might not be worth it."

A hard look appeared in Erin's eyes and she crossed her arms. "That would be a pretty hard thing to realize seeing as it's not the least bit true."

He gave her a small smile at that. "I guess I've just let myself be controlled by the fear that it won't work to the point that I'm actually in danger of making my fears a reality. And that's definitely not what I want. But that doesn't mean I should have just let things continue last night."

She watched him silently, her expression uncertain once again.

"I want to do this right," he continued, "and rushing into sex without talking about it is not the way to do that."

"I know," she said, letting out a resigned sigh. "And I knew that last night but it was just so much easier to be in the moment and say screw self control."

"Believe me, I get that completely," he said with a smile, pushing himself fully onto the desk and facing her, his legs dangling between them. "And I know there'll be times when we both make mistakes and screw things up, but it's not going to be because we don't talk to each other about things."

For the first time, she fully smiled at him. "I like the sound of that."

Al smiled back at her, reaching down to grab her hands and pulling her to her feet so she stood between his knees. He moved his hands to her waist as she dropped hers to his thighs.

"You're being awfully levelheaded about this," Erin pointed out, sounding a bit impressed. Al gave a shrug, a pleased look on his face.

"You're pretty important to me, which makes this important. And I never want you to think I don't want you or that I don't think you're beautiful or sexy or worth it. That's the last way I wanted to make you feel because it's the farthest thing from the truth. I honestly don't know how I was able to do what I did last night."

She chuckled, moving closer to him and winding her arms around his neck.

"Probably because you love me too much to compromise my honor."

Al laughed. "I'm pretty sure you were the one trying to compromise _my_ honor."

She flushed a little in embarrassment at this, and Al tightened his grip on her waist, fearful that she might pull away.

"I don't think we're ready to have sex," he said bluntly. "But that doesn't mean nothing can happen. How about we take things one step at a time," he suggested, his hands running up and down her sides in a soothing manner. "Build up to it a bit rather than just jumping in."

"Like maybe next time," she said in a teasing manner, her confidence slowly coming back, "I won't have to do all the work?"

He laughed, grateful that she wasn't so upset by the whole thing that she couldn't make light of it.

"Definitely," he assured her. "You might actually be the one telling _me_ to wait."

She chuckled, running a hand up into his hair at the back of his neck. "Sounds like fun."

They'd grown closer as they bantered and there was now barely any space between them. Al could no longer resist closing the distance between them and captured her lips with his, probably a bit more firmly than she'd been expecting if the way she almost stumbled backwards was anything to go off of. He pulled her closer, scooting to the edge of the desk so she was fully between his legs as he deepened the kiss, his fingers probably digging in a little too firmly at her waist.

She broke away abruptly, and Al looked at her in question, surprised to see her smirking at him.

"Al, wait."

He stared blankly at her for a moment before laughter burst out of him, and Erin laughed right along with him.

"I couldn't resist," she said, doing her best to control her laughter as her hands came around to tug on the drawstrings of his sweatshirt.

"Seems to be a problem you keep having," he said with a smirk. Erin sighed and gave him a thoroughly annoyed look.

"If you're going to keep teasing me about this, nothing close to what happened last night will be happening again for a very long time."

She was looking at him pointedly and Al sobered immediately.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Be sure you do," she said with a smirk. And while Al could tell she was definitely more at ease than she had been before, there was still something tense about her demeanor. He really knew something was wrong when her smirk fell away and a crease appeared on her brow.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, rubbing her back as she placed her hands against his chest and let out a sigh.

"I'm not good with rejection," she mumbled, her eyes focused on her hands. "If you remember, I had a bit of a rough time with the whole Carter thing and it affected me more than I care to admit."

Al tensed at the mention of her history with Carter Brighton. She and her fellow Gryffindor had never officially dated, though he knew they might as well have. He'd been annoyed with it at the time, and relieved when it had ended, which he felt bad about now that he knew how much Carter not wanting to make things official had affected her.

"I think one of the reasons I never really brought up what you and I were to each other was because I was worried you'd do the same thing and want nothing to do with me the moment I tried to pressure you into anything more serious than what we were. And what happened last night just made all of those fears come rushing back."

Al hardly knew what to say, but he immediately felt horrible for causing all of those insecurities to rise to the surface.

"I'll try not to let it bother me or get in my head too much," she continued, tugging at one of the strings on his sweatshirt again, "but, I figured, since we were being honest…"

"Thank you for telling me," he said sincerely. "I know that probably wasn't easy to admit."

She nodded, her eyes warm as they met his.

"And I promise I'll do my best to make sure you don't feel that way again, alright?" he assured her. Erin gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

He smiled brightly at her. "Anything for you, love."

Warmth filled him as she laughed before winding her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. Al breathed in deeply, relaxing in her embrace as he brought his arms up and around her shoulders, holding her tightly.

"I love you, you know that?" he whispered against her head before dropping a kiss to it. He felt her nod against him.

"I love you too," she said with a content sigh. A moment later, she pulled away, looking up at him with an easy smile, which he didn't even attempt to resist kissing. It was light and playful and she stepped away from him with a giggle, grabbing his hand as she made to leave the room.

"So," he said as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch, "we're okay?"

"Yeah," Erin assured him, a small smile accompanying her words. "Thanks for coming after me. Probably wouldn't have been good if I'd continued to ignore it all."

"You're welcome," he said with a smug grin, pulling her in and under his arm with a pleased smirk on his face. Erin rolled her eyes.

"Wipe that smirk off your face before I start teasing you for being a prude."

Al laughed, pulling her in tighter so he could kiss the top of her head while she smirked at him, her hand going around his back and slipping under his sweatshirt and t-shirt to meet bare skin. Her smirk turned into a teasing smile when his gaze darkened.

"Keep that up and I might not be one very long."

"That's the plan."

* * *

 **A/N: First of all, love these two. Secondly, I don't plan on ever posting anything too graphic or explicit, but as the characters and their relationships mature, so will their stories. It will remain at a T rating but just a heads up!**


	14. Easy - Molly

**A/N: A short and sweet one shot that will lead to more. I have letters written!**

 **This takes place at the end of _Show a Little Faith:_ Chapter Nine - _Tell me why are you still so afraid?_**

* * *

- _Molly-_

It had already been a day that was filled with laughter and friendship and memories. The Potters and the Weasleys and their various family friends had played hours of Quidditch, and they were now enjoying the end of one of their last days of summer around the Potters' swimming pool.

Molly always enjoyed this part of the day much more than Quidditch. It wasn't that she didn't like Quidditch, but she'd never been very good at it. She much preferred enjoying time by the pool and talking and laughing with her friends and cousins. Especially the ones she wouldn't be able to see throughout the school year. And even more of them wouldn't be coming back this time.

She was going to miss Dominique and Eva and Ethan. Something entertaining was always bound to happen when Dom was around, and she usually roped Eva into doing whatever it was she had up her sleeve. Eva wasn't normally prone to troublemaking, but it seemed as though she couldn't help herself whenever Dom suggested they do something to mess with Ethan during their seventh year. Molly had sort of felt bad for him, but he took it in stride, never really showing that he was all that upset with them, but doing what he had to as Head Boy nonetheless.

He'd really done a wonderful job, and based on what everyone was saying, he was doing a wonderful job as an Auror, too. He certainly looked like he was doing well, despite the recent loss he'd had to endure with his great-gran passing. There was an easy smile on his face as he and Dom played keep-away in the pool, laughing at a frustrated Louis, who couldn't quite get his hands on the ball they were throwing. Everyone laughed heartily as Louis finally had enough and tackled his sister as soon as she caught another pass from Ethan, effectively ending the game as he and his sister grappled together.

"Best not to get in the middle of that, don't you think?" said Ethan, an amused smile on his face as he lazily swam over to the side of the pool where Molly was sitting, her feet hanging in the water.

"Probably a good idea," she said with a small smile of her own. He chuckled as he swam right up to the edge, gripping it with his fingers as he looked up at her, squinting a bit as the sun hit his face.

"Aren't you getting in?"

Molly shook her head, her still dry hair brushing against her cheeks as a refreshing breeze blew in. "I'd rather not be subjected to something like that," she said with a nod towards Dom and Louis, who were still wrestling with each other.

"That's fair," he said with a smile, pulling himself forward and resting his arms on the wet concrete. "It's bloody hot, though."

Molly laughed, kicking her feet in the water. "I'm part way in. Besides, it's a little crowded as it is."

Ethan looked over his shoulder to where more than half of their friends were in the pool. The only ones who weren't were Molly, Erin, Alice, and Victoire, who were sitting in some chairs behind her.

"Another fair point," Ethan said with a chuckle. A moment later he was pulling himself out of the pool and sitting beside her, grinning as she flinched when a few drops of water landed on her.

"You ready to head back next week?" he asked, picking up a ball that was on the ground near where they were sitting.

"Yes and no," she answered honestly. "I do miss it, and I'm excited to be able to see everyone all the time, but I'll miss home. And everyone who's not going to be there this time around."

She was watching her cousins carry on in the pool, but she could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke.

"I'll miss you too."

She laughed, turning to look at him and taking in his pleased smile, his wet hair causing drops of water to run down his cheek. He was wearing it a bit shorter than he had when they were in school. Molly knew that if he let it grow a little longer, his brown locks would adopt a slight curl, but it was now too short for that. She'd heard her uncle Ron say that Ethan was the spitting image of his father when he was younger, round faced and a little chubby, his hair a little lighter. But he'd definitely grown out of that now, even before he'd started Auror training. She'd even heard her aunt Ginny tease Neville recently about how puberty had been just as kind to his son as it had been to him, which made Neville blush. Molly had seen pictures of Neville in his youth, and Ginny was not wrong.

"You enjoying training?" Molly asked. "It's nice that you have today off."

"It was a rather lucky break, honestly," he said. "I only get one Saturday a month, though I think Harry pulled a few strings with this one."

Molly chuckled. "He's definitely big on family, so I'm not surprised. But things are going well?"

"They're great," he said with an easy smile. "I'm still getting used to all of it, but I don't think I'd want to be doing anything else."

"That's wonderful," she said. "I know you've wanted to do this for a long time."

He nodded, a contemplative look on his face as he looked down towards the water, his legs swinging back and forth gently in the pool.

"You were one of the first people I told, actually," said Ethan, looking at her with a small smile. Molly's eyes widened a bit in surprise at this news. He'd told her that he wanted to be an Auror towards the beginning of his sixth year while she was in fourth. She'd been having some trouble with her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework and he'd offered to help her. They'd been sitting in the library, and she could distinctly remembered complimenting his skills and somewhat jokingly saying he should become an Auror, when he'd surprised her by telling her he hoped he would be one day.

"Really?" she asked, her legs stilling in the water in her surprise. "Why me?"

He shrugged, looking sideways at her. "I wasn't exactly planning on it, but it turns out you're pretty easy to talk to."

Molly was thankful the heat of the day was making it impossible for her to grow warmer when he smiled at her.

"So are you," she found herself saying. "You were also a fantastic Head Boy, and it'll be strange to not have you around. I know Scorpius will do great, but it'll be hard to measure up."

"Thanks," he said, he smile growing a little more shy at her compliment. "I at least wanted to do better than my Head when I was in fifth year."

"Not that hard to do," she said, chuckling with him as they remembered the scandal that had occurred when the Head Boy had been relieved of his duties that year.

"Still," he said, looking at her sincerely, "thank you. It was hard to see that sometimes. Especially when my friends kept getting themselves in trouble."

He directed his gaze towards where Dom now had Louis in a headlock, and Caleb had Eva - who was swearing brilliantly at him - over his shoulder.

"You never seemed like you minded so much," said Molly. "You still don't," she added, noting the hint of a smile on his face.

"They mean well," he said, smiling as Louis finally broke free from his sister and started swimming towards the far side of the pool, Dom following closely behind. "And it was never anything too horrible, so I could never get too angry with them. It's hard to be upset with them anyway."

Molly watched as Ethan dunked the foam ball he was holding into the pool, letting it soak up the water before he took aim and tossed it at Dominique, hitting her in the back. Molly froze in slight fear when Dom abruptly turned to see who the culprit was, a searching scowl on her face. Ethan's expression was far too innocent when Dom's gaze landed on him. Molly fully expected her cousin to retaliate, so she was a bit surprised when Dom simply plucked the ball out of the water, looked between the two of them with a smirk, and turned to chuck the ball at her brother, hitting Louis in the back of the head.

"You know how I said you're easy to talk to?" said Ethan, drawing Molly's gaze and attention back to him. He seemed slightly nervous as she nodded.

"Would it be alright if I wrote to you? While you're at Hogwarts?"

Molly did her best not to look completely taken aback. It wasn't that they weren't friends, but it wasn't a given that they'd keep in touch once he left school. So it made sense that he would ask first, but she hadn't been expecting it. She wasn't in the least bit upset about it either.

"Alright," she managed to say once her surprise had worn off a bit, and she could have sworn he relaxed a bit at her words. "Yeah, that would be great."

He smiled at her before both of them were distracted by the sound of Erin screaming as Al and Hugo rushed towards where she was sitting with Victoire and Alice, each of them dumping a bucket of water on her. Molly did her best not to laugh as Erin spluttered a string of curses at Al and Hugo, who were doubled over with laughter.

"As tough as Dom and Eva were to corral, I definitely don't envy Rose and Scorp," said Ethan, chuckling as Erin collected herself enough to run at Al and attempt to shove him back into the pool. Rose was hollering warnings at them to be careful as Al continued to laugh, holding Erin at bay by gripping her wrists.

"They're a bit of a handful," she agreed as Al switched things up by trying to drag Erin into the pool along with him. "At least you didn't have to deal with James and Freddie and Ly."

Ethan chuckled as Erin screamed, Al having successfully pulled both of them into the water. "I did have to deal with them as a prefect, but they were actually good enough not to get caught most of the time," he pointed out. "Lorcan probably had it worst out of all of us, though."

Molly laughed, nodding in agreement as her eyes went to the other end of the pool where Fred and Ly and Lorcan were taking turns doing tricks off the diving board. Roxanne was in the water nearby and evaluating their skills while cheering them on, but James and Violet were sitting on the edge of the pool just like she and Ethan were, though a bit closer together.

"They've grown up quite a bit since Hogwarts, don't you think?" said Molly, watching as James held Violet's hand in his, both of them with small yet perfectly content smiles on their faces. And even though the others were carrying on and having a laugh, they weren't stirring up trouble like Al and Hugo had.

"You should've seen how determined James was last night," said Ethan, watching the new couple as well. "It was brilliant. Never seen him more nervous, either."

"I'm glad it worked out," said Molly. "They seem really happy."

"About time, too."

Molly chuckled, nodding in agreement as her aunt Ginny announced that everyone needed to get cleaned up for dinner.

"Is this the last time we're going to see you before we go back to school?" Molly asked as everyone slowly began to get out of the pool. Ethan nodded as he grabbed a towel off one of the chairs, drying off his legs before draping it around his shoulders.

"I'm lucky I've been able to be around as much as I have been last night and this morning. James offered me a ticket to his match, but I can't make it."

"That's too bad," Molly said, sorting through a pile of T-shirts on the patio table until she found her own and put it on over her suit.

"You'll hear from me, though," he assured her as they made their way into the house behind Alice and Victoire while everyone continued to dry off. His words reminded Molly of his earlier request to write to her, and she smiled, pleased with the prospect and that it didn't seem like a flippant idea. She smiled at him, enjoying what was probably her last chance to talk to him one-on-one before she left for school, knowing she might not have another opportunity once everyone else started pouring into the house.

"I'm looking forward to it," she assured him, glad to see him giving her a pleased smile that she did her best to memorize, her stomach fluttering with an unfamiliar sensation that she couldn't quite name. But as Erin came in and launched herself onto his back - nearly knocked him over in the process - he shot her one last smile, and something told Molly that, whatever it was, it was a good feeling to have.


	15. Letters - Ethan & Molly

**A/N: Coming in at just under ten thousand words, this is the longest chapter I've ever posted. I thought about breaking it up, but decided to just keep it all together.**

 **This takes place throughout chapters 11 through 27 of _Show a Little Faith._**

* * *

 _\- Ethan & Molly -_

 _Sept. 8th, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _Told you I'd write to you! Not that you thought I wouldn't. You just seemed so surprised when I asked if I could._

 _I guess I can understand that, since I've never written to you before. Then again, I've never needed to. It's so strange to think I'll be going months without seeing you. Any of you lot still at Hogwarts. I know it's only been a week since term started, but I miss everyone already. Especially Erin. I know we don't act like we're close, but we are. She just likes to shove her emotions as far down as possible and not let anyone see. Which has me worrying for her a bit, what with Great-Gran passing._

 _She'll be okay, though. Us Longbottoms are resilient, according to Gran. You know how she could go on and on about my grandparents and my dad and their heroics during wartime. I guess all of that is part of the reason I chose the path I did. It's hard, though, knowing I'll never hear those stories from her again. I guess you can understand that, with your mum's dad passing a while back. As rubbish as it is that we've both had to go through that type of loss, is it alright to say I'm glad to have a friend who knows what it's like?_

 _Anyway. I know we talked about training and everything the last time I saw you, but I really can't believe how right it feels to be doing what I'm doing. Our first year we focus on stealth and tracking, curse detection, first aid, hand-to-hand combat as well as regular defensive dueling, and regulations and protocols. We have lectures throughout the week, and physical training every evening. Saturday's are set aside for practical work in one of the courses, and Sundays are for any extra studying we have to do. We do some practical work in the classes as well, but sometimes they even bring in an expert and we really focus in on putting things into practice on Saturdays. It's been different each week so far._

 _My fellow trainees are great, my trainers are fantastic, and I know I've known your uncle for a long time, but he's even more impressive on the job. I hope I get to go out with him into the field eventually. It'll be brilliant to see him in action._

 _I'm not hero worshiping, I promise. Well, maybe a little bit. But it's hard not to when he is who he is._

 _Saw your dad a few times this week, and he wouldn't shut up about how much he already misses you and Lucy. It's strange to be on this side of things and I already miss it, but I'm excited about where I am now._

 _How's the term so far? Feeling a little less pressure now that your O.W.L.s are behind you? Do you have a new patrol partner this year? I'd tell you to give Rose and Scorpius a bit of a hard time, but I know that's not you. I know you'd never disrespect your Heads._

 _Try and have some fun, though. You've still got another year before N.E.W.T.s, so don't worry about them too much yet. Besides, I know you'll do brilliantly anyway._

 _Hope you're well, and hope to hear from you soon,_

 _Ethan_

 _P.S. Thanks for coming to the Leaky on my birthday. I know we didn't exactly get a chance to talk, but I really appreciated that you were there._

* * *

 _Sept. 10th, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _I wasn't surprised that you wrote me. I was a bit impressed that you managed to do it so quickly, though. I'm glad you did. I've never really written to anyone while I've been away at Hogwarts. I normally write to my parents, and I used to write Lucy when she wasn't here, but that's normal. Not that this isn't normal. It's just different._

 _It's strange not to see you during meals or in the joint common room. I guess you never really realize how much you notice the presence of a person until they're gone. It's weird not seeing Dom or Eva around as well. How are they doing? Do you get to see them much? I know Eva's pretty busy with training, but Dom's working for your mum, right? You probably see each other quite a bit._

 _I'm sure Erin misses you too. She seems to be doing okay, but she and Al did get into a bit of a row the other day from what I heard. Apparently, they're not talking. I'm not sure she'd appreciate me telling you this, but I know you aren't the meddling sort. And they've worked out their issues before. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they do so again._

 _I understand what you mean, about having a friend who's been through the same thing you have. I know it's different, though. I lost my granddad when I was eight, so I didn't know him nearly as well as you knew your gran, but it leaves a hole, doesn't it? I'm sorry you're having to go through this, but I'm glad you trust me enough to be there for you however I can. Even if it is just through a letter._

 _I'm so glad you're loving what you're doing. I know the summer was difficult for you, but at least you had something to look forward to and that it's actually meeting your expectations so far, if not exceeding them. Teddy was saying wonderful things about you last I saw him, and he seemed really impressed, so I suppose you're doing alright. As for my uncle, I know what you mean. My dad's worked closely with him for years, but it's always astounding to hear the stories of what he's done. I don't blame you for your bit of hero worshipping at all. When do you start going out into the field? Are you still mostly at the training facility?_

 _I miss my dad. And my mum. I'm actually a bit jealous you get to see them and I don't._

 _Term is going fine. I already had three essays due last week and three more due this one, plus more reading than I think is possible to accomplish. You'd think they'd give us a bit of a break after our O.W.L. year, but apparently not. So, to answer your question, the pressure is still on._

 _I'm patrolling with Scotty Robinson this year. He's actually my fellow Ravenclaw sixth year prefect. I don't actually know how much I care for him. We've always been on fine enough terms, but he kept talking about how surprised he was to learn that Scorpius was Head Boy. Didn't exactly sit well with me, and I did what I could to defend Scorpius. I guess some people just have dodgy opinions._

 _So no, I won't be giving Scorpius or Rose a hard time, seeing as they might be getting it elsewhere. Not that I would have, anyway, which you were observant enough to figure out on your own. I will try to have a bit of fun, though. Jill will make sure of that even if I don't._

 _Write back soon and tell me all about your exciting Auror adventures. I'm looking forward to hearing all about them._

 _Molly,_

 _P.S. It was my pleasure._

* * *

 _Sept. 16th, 2023_

 _Molly_

 _These first few weeks have been like something out of a dream. I'd always hoped I'd make a good Auror, but I never thought it would feel so right._

 _At the risk of sounding a little too arrogant, I can't believe how well I'm doing. We have weekly courses in the various skills and training exercises that we get ranked in, and I'm currently top of my class! It's not that I'm the best in everything, but it would appear I'm at least well rounded. I can hardly believe it. Dad's beyond proud, and Mum told me not to go getting a big head, but I know she's proud of me too._

 _Enough about all that, though. Dom's about to drive me mad. She's only been working at the Leaky for a month, and she's already restless. I can't tell you how many times I've found her in the kitchen with way too many scones and pastries scattered around. I don't mind too much that she bakes when she's bored or stressed, seeing as it's always delicious, but as much as she complains about not knowing what she wants to do with her life, she doesn't do a whole lot to figure it out._

 _I haven't been able to see Eva since she left for Kenmare, which is a shame. She writes as often as she can, though, and she's doing alright. I can tell she misses home, though, no matter how exciting it all is to be living her dream. Dom and I talked about trying to go visit her as soon as I have a break from training, which I think she'll appreciate._

 _We have two months of training before our first trip into the field, so that's only two weeks away. I'm a bit nervous, but still excited. It's what I've been working towards, right? Doesn't mean it's not a bit scary, though. They used to wait until the end of the first year of training for field experience, but they ran into issues with trainees feeling either too cocky, or too spooked. They started easing trainees into it a lot earlier not long after your uncle started being more involved in the program._

 _Hope Erin and Al aren't still fighting. They drive me mad. No one understands how Erin and I can possibly be siblings since we're so different, and I find it difficult to not agree with them. Al's good for her, though. He doesn't let her get away with anything._

 _Hope Scorpius is handling everything okay. It's a tough position to be in and a lot of pressure. It's hard to not let it get to you, and I hope he doesn't._

 _I don't have a lot of free time right now, but I plan on making my way to see Alice sometime soon. Maybe I'll even try and do it during a Hogsmeade weekend? I get one Saturday off a month, so I could end up being free. Send me the dates so I can do what I can to make it happen. The first one's right before Halloween, right?_

 _Congratulations on making it through your first two weeks of sixth year! What's been the best thing you've learned in class so far?_

 _Hope to hear from you soon,_

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _Sept. 22nd, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _That's wonderful! You_ should _be excited that you're doing so well. I don't think anyone ever doubted that you would._

 _How are your fellow trainees? I know you mentioned that they were pretty great, but is there anyone you've really gotten to know? Anyone you'd consider a friend? You have a roommate, right? What's he like?_

 _I'm asking an awful lot of questions, aren't I? Hope you don't mind. I'm sort of trying to distract myself from telling you what happened in the joint common room a few weeks ago because it would be gossiping. But then you might have already heard anyway. Not that there's much to tell. I'm not entirely sure what's going on and it's not really any of my business. How often do you even hear from your sister?_

 _Everything is fine, otherwise. I think the thing I've enjoyed the most about my classes has surprisingly been Potions. We're getting into some of the really complex stuff, and it's boggling to me how it all works together. I've never been the best at it, but I still find the subject fascinating. Just that simply crushing an ingredient instead of cutting it can make such a difference in the outcome of your potion. It's remarkable. I'm also excited to get started on human transfiguration. Lucy has been talking my ear off about it since she's already done so much reading on the subject. She already knows more about it than I do!_

 _I hope you and Dom get a chance to go see Eva. I know she'd love that. And I hope Dom is able to sort everything out soon. Or at least be content with where she is right now. I'm sure that's not easy, especially knowing how Aunt Fleur is probably handling it all. Uncle Bill is most likely more than content to let Dom figure herself out, but Aunt Fleur will want to get in there and fix it. And Dom's not one to want to be fixed._

 _As far as Hogsmeade weekends go, the first one is actually tomorrow. They switched up the schedule a bit this year and added a few more dates for us to go into town. Our next one is the weekend before Halloween, just like you said. The one after that isn't till the beginning of December. It would be wonderful if you could come visit your sister. I'm excited to see her tomorrow._

 _Hope you're well,_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _Sept. 27th, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _I'm less than a week away from my first field experience, which I'm both anxious and excited for. We've been focusing a lot on curse detection lately in our practicals, and it's been fascinating. I hope whatever my first field experiences is involves something like that. Not that I hope something or someone is cursed, but I'd love to be able to actually put into practice the things we only really know in theory. We get more into stealth training next month, and I'm definitely looking forward to that. We'll be doing more of that human transfiguration you're so keen to start learning about!_

 _My roommate is alright. We're a bit different, though, so it's made it hard for us to really connect. We don't have anything on Sundays, so he likes to take advantage of his Saturday nights and normally comes in worse for ware and rather late. On the up side, I've become rather adept at cleaning spells since he's not exactly neat. He shows promise as an Auror, though. He's probably one of the most athletic trainees, though I don't know how well he'll do at stealth since he manages to wake me up everytime he stumbles into our quarters. And we even have our own rooms._

 _I have gotten to know a few others trainees as well. There's only one other first year besides me and my roommate. I normally eat meals with these two blokes who are second years and live just down the hall, along with one of their girlfriends, who's the other first year trainee. Mason took a year after Hogwarts to travel a bit, and Isaac and Zoey were actually in your house. I didn't really know them that well, though, so it's been nice to get to know them now. I've gone out with them a few Saturday nights, and they don't go nearly as hard as Logan does. Logan's my roommate, by the way._

 _And don't apologize for asking questions. I enjoy them. Though if the subject you're trying to avoid is Al and Erin, I've heard a little bit about it. Louis and Caleb both said something in letters to their sisters, but not enough for me to know the whole story. I'm not sure I even want to. I love my sister, and Al's like a younger brother to me. They'll figure out whatever it is. Hopefully._

 _It looks like I won't have the Saturdays off that you all will be in Hogsmeade, so I don't think I'll be able to see everyone when I come visit Alice. Maybe next term!_

 _Wish me luck next week! I know I said I'm not nervous, but who am I kidding._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _Oct. 3rd, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _I'm sure you've already had your first experience out in the field by now, but good luck anyway! How did it go? What did you do? Were you with other trainees or was it just you and an Auror? I really know nothing about how all of this works. It's been fascinating to hear some of the inside details from your letters._

 _Stealth sounds fascinating! I'll admit, I'm a little terrified for human transfiguration, though, despite my interest in it. We've been doing some reading on the subject, and it's terrifying to read about some of the cases where people make mistakes and mess themselves up beyond repair. So don't go growing leaves on yourself or something and then do it wrong so you look like a tree for the rest of your life. That would be horrible!_

 _I'm sorry about your roommate not being the best fit. He doesn't sound like the most pleasant person to live with, but at least you've made some friends! I remember Zoey and Isaac. She was always nice to me, but I never really interacted with him. She's lovely, though, so I'm sure he's a decent bloke._

 _I'm a little worried about Rose and Scorpius. Normally I wouldn't write to you about something that really isn't any of my business, or yours, but I'm a prefect and they're the Head students, so it sort of is my business when the Heads aren't really speaking to each other. There's another prefect meeting on Sunday, and if it goes anything like the last one did, it will be an awkward affair. I don't think they even looked at each other during the last one, and I don't think I've seen them together in weeks. I don't know what happened, but it can't be good. And I'm a little more worried about Scorpius than I am Rose. He hasn't exactly been himself all term._

 _Did you and Joy ever have trouble when you were Heads together? I can't seem to remember a time when you didn't get along, but I still thought I'd ask. Not that I can use it to help the situation. I probably won't say anything to them. I suppose I'm just curious._

 _That's a shame that you can't get the time off for when we're in Hogsmeade. I know everyone would have loved to see you. The pub looks great, by the way! Alice has really brightened the place up, and everyone seems to love her. Jill said she thinks they even improved the butterbeer, but I think she's just being dramatic. It tastes the same as ever to me. It's probably because Alice got new glassware so we're not drinking out of pewter tankards anymore._

 _Molly_

* * *

 _Oct. 8th, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _So it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I went into the field with one other trainees and two Aurors. They were called to the scene of a possible break in at a shop in Diagon Alley, and while one of them seemed to be open to letting us ask questions and look around, the other treated us like we were just in the way. We basically spent the whole time a few feet away while they talked to the store owner and checked the shop. For something I was so excited for, it was a little disappointing. Especially compared to the fact that Isaac ended up with a team that went into Muggle London to check out a homicide scene that had a magical imprint, and they actually allowed them to do some of the detection spells we learned this past month._

 _I know it's not always going to be easy or go the way I want it to, but I couldn't help being disappointed and even a bit frustrated. It was completely random which calls we ended up on, so I know it's not because they didn't think I could handle something bigger, but you can't help thinking that way sometimes._

 _Anyway. We go out once a week for this next month, and I hope that's not the way it is each time. I'll be with different Aurors most of the time, but we'll eventually be paired with another trainee. Most of the time it's someone from your own year, but since we're uneven, one of us won't be. The other trainee on my last call was Mason, who's a second year in that I mentioned in my last letter._

 _I'm sorry to hear that things aren't going their best as far as your Heads are concerned. I've always known Rose and Scorpius to get along well, so I hope they work it out soon. It's sure been a bit of a ride with the seventh years already, hasn't it? What with Al and Erin not talking and now Rose and Scorpius. Nothing really dramatic happened when I was in school. But I suppose they both have slightly more complicated relationships than I ever did with anyone. And Joy and I never really had any issues. There were a few times that she had some trouble with her friends breaking rules and it took her awhile to figure out how to handle that. I had to do the same with Dom and Eva, though. Most Heads have to sort that out. But there was never a time where we didn't get along to the point of not talking to each other. Then again, we weren't really friends before hand. That makes it complicated, I suppose._

 _It's so great to hear that Alice is doing well! I'm seeing her this Saturday since it's my day off for the month, so I'll be able to know even better myself. She likes to downplay things a bit in her letters, so it's nice to hear from an outside perspective. And I doubt she changed the butterbeer recipe. Rosmerta's is some of the best out there, so I'm willing to bet you're right about those glasses. Mum did the same a few years ago, and it was one of the best decisions she ever made._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _Oct. 17th, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _There's going to be a Halloween party! They announced it last weekend, and everyone is so excited. It's going to be held in the Room of Requirement the weekend following Halloween so it doesn't run into the Hogsmeade weekend. Rose and Scorpius told us in the prefect meeting that your dad will be chaperoning, and they're actually getting Alice to cater the food rather than having the House Elves do it. So your whole family will be here, besides you and your mum._

 _Speaking of Rose and Scorpius, things seem like they're making their way back to normal! Guess there wasn't anything to really worry about after all._

 _I'm so sorry that your training in the field wasn't all you were hoping. Didn't sound like there was much training involved at all. Was it any better last week? I know it's been awhile since I've written, so it's possible you've already been out twice since I last heard from you. I've been losing track of my days lately. We're getting to the midpoint of the term, and it seems that none of the teachers communicated with each other about the amount of work they were giving us to do, so everyone is piling it on. I had something due in each class this week! I was going out of my mind while writing an essay for Binns, so I figured taking a break and finally responding to your last letter was in order._

 _I'm glad you're getting along with your fellow trainees. How many are there? Are you enjoying the stealth training? Are you still top of your class? Tell me more about your friends! What are they like and who would you say you're closest to?_

 _I suppose I should get back to my homework. I don't mind school work, really, but it gets a little overwhelming at times. I wonder sometimes just how much I'll actually be able to retain once I leave school, which has gotten me thinking more about what I want to do with my future. I've already had my first career meeting with Flitwick, but it basically ended with him saying my marks were good enough that I could do whatever I wanted, which wasn't that helpful at all._

 _I don't know. I suppose I could get a job at the Ministry and follow in my parents' footsteps, but I want to do something I'm passionate about. I'm just not sure what that is yet, and I don't know how to figure it out. When did you decide you wanted to be an Auror? Have you always felt about it the same way you do now?_

 _Thanks for listening. Or reading, I suppose. I don't think I've said yet how much I appreciate being able to write to you. Especially knowing I can tell you things like this and you won't react the way my dad would, which would be to work incredibly hard to find a solution or fix things when he can't. And it would all send my mother into a tizzy, no matter how serious anything may or may not be. They're wonderful, but they worry a bit too much, so I try to keep my letters relatively bland. So thank you._

 _Hope you had a nice time with your sister. Thoughts on the butterbeer?_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _Oct. 25nd, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _Things went better on my last two outings into the field. Thankfully, I won't be with the same Aurors each time, and I think Mason complained to one of the trainers about our first experience, otherwise we might have stuck with the same ones a few more times. I was a little nervous at first that he'd done that, but apparently it wasn't news that this particular Auror gave us this type of trouble. I wasn't upset about the change at all. He's actually someone that I was familiar with outside of his experience as an Auror, and I'm not exactly his biggest fan. But that story's not mine to tell. Sorry to be so vague about it._

 _Anyway, we went to another break in, but this one was a little more severe, and we were able to help out at the scene. We also had to go into Muggle London where there was evidence that a similar break in occurred, so we were able to gather evidence and compare it to the previous scene. It was fascinating! I know I have a long way to go, but I can't wait to take a more active role in cases. No opportunity to use stealth yet, but they said we won't be able to go out on calls like that until we are certified in stealth and tracking, which won't be till the end of first year. Mason and Cora, one of the other second years, got to help a few Aurors track someone the other day. They said it wasn't all that exciting, since the bloke didn't do anything. Still, you never know what could happen when you're on a case like that._

 _Also, Zoey and I have been switching out for top of the class most weeks. She's got me beat in first aid right now, since it still makes me a little queasy, and she's a little better in curse detection right now as well._

 _I have to say, as much fun as a Halloween party sounds, I'm glad I didn't have to throw one. I'm sure you'll have fun, though. And I doubt Erin will be pleased that my dad will be chaperoning. That would be fun to witness. Do the prefects have to help out? I'd tell you to wait until after the party to write me so you could tell me all about it, but that's two weeks away. I look forward to hearing from you too much to wait till then._

 _Speaking of which, I'm thankful to be able to write to you too. It's nice to have a different and an outside perspective on things. Plus, I've enjoyed getting to know you better. I know we've known each other for years, but I've enjoyed growing our friendship even more. I'm glad you have to, and I'll always be a letter away._

 _I don't really know when I decided I wanted to be an Auror, but I didn't really start thinking about it as a real possibility until I had my meeting with my Head of House, which happened to be my dad. McGonagall actually had to be there too, seeing as that can be a bit tricky. She said there should be an unbiased opinion present, which worked in my favor. Not that Dad was against the idea, but he had his doubts. You know me, so you know I'm not as outspoken as Erin, but I'm not as timid as Alice either. By the end of the meeting, he'd started to come around to the idea, but we talked about it a lot over the next couple of years. I think he was more excited than I was by the time I finally got my acceptance letter._

 _I did have my doubts, though. I wondered if I'd be able to do it, because I didn't want to just scrape by. I wanted to do it well. I'm thankful that I've been able to so far, and I hope that continues to be the case. I think it's okay to not be a hundred percent sure of something but to go for it anyway. I don't think we'd ever do anything if we waited until we were absolutely positive it was the right thing to do. There's something to be said about taking chances. Sometimes they're the best things we ever do._

 _I don't know how much that helps or if it even does at all. I get wanting to find something you're passionate about, and I hope you do! But you asked about the other trainees, so allow me to at least partially answer your questions._

 _There are ten trainees at the Auror Academy, which is the largest number they've had since those first few years after the war. So there's the ones I've already mentioned: Mason, Isaac, Zoey, Logan, and Cora. Then there's Tony, Maya, Luca, and Harry, which is a bit confusing at times. And then there's me. Luca is in his third year and he's the only one who doesn't live in the Auror Academy housing since he's married. I actually got to know him a bit the other day when we were paired together for a training exercise. He's from Italy and moved here since his wife is working with our Ministry as a liason. They actually got married straight out of school because her parents weren't exactly in favor of them moving to London together. He seemed a bit proud of himself when he told me they couldn't object anymore after that._

 _This letter would go on forever if I told you about everyone, so I'll fill you in on each of my fellow trainees in subsequent letters. I think this is the longest one I've written so far._

 _Looking forward to hearing from you soon,_

 _Ethan_

 _P.S. The butterbeer was just as perfect as it's always been._

* * *

 _Nov. 1st, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _We still have a few days till the Halloween party, and we were able to go into Hogsmeade a few days ago. Which was helpful for those of us who didn't have everything we need for our costumes._

 _Yes, it's a costume party. Rose and Scorpius decided to do a Muggle Halloween party, and Muggles always dress up in costumes, apparently. Charlotte Bray was telling me all about how she used to wear funny costumes as a child, and she had friends who would dress up as witches and vampires and things! I don't think anyone will be doing that. There are going to be different Muggle Halloween activities too!_

 _You probably want to know what I'm going as, don't you? Well, Jill got it into her head that we should do something Muggle, and her mother is Muggle born so she sent us a whole list of ideas. Caleb is going as a fireman, Louis as a policeman, Jill will be a construction worker, and I get to be a doctor. I think Caleb is the least pleased with his costume. He has to wear this big yellow hat that we managed to transfigure to look like one they show in the pictures we've seen of Muggle firefighters. Jill is wearing a similar hat too, but she's so excited about the whole thing that she doesn't really care._

 _I'm glad things have been better with your field training! It all sounds so interesting, what you're doing. Thankfully nothing too dangerous yet either. Does that make you nervous at all? Knowing you could find yourself having to fight for your life? That sounds a bit dramatic, I suppose. But still. It could happen._

 _Luca sounds like a lot of fun! Have you met his wife?_

 _I appreciate you opening up and sharing. I remember when you first told me you wanted to be an Auror during your sixth year, and you seemed so sure of yourself. Maybe you were by then, but with how clueless I am when it comes to what I want to do with my life, it's nice to know that even people who know what they want to do have their doubts. I'm not the best at taking chances. I suppose I get that from my dad. He never does much of anything unless he's carefully thought it through, or knows there's no real risk involved. He's had his moments, though, so I suppose I could to._

 _Not that I think just because either of my parents are a certain way means I have to be. I know I'm my own person, but I think it's important to see where we came from and learn from that. We can learn a lot about ourselves if we take a step back and look at the bigger picture._

 _I'll never complain about your letters being too long. Looking forward to hearing more about your new friends when I hear from you next!_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _Nov. 8th, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _Well, if you're not going to complain about my letters being too long, I might as well make the most of it._

 _I'm loving the stealth and tracking training. We've only really been honing our skills in human transfiguration and tracking, which is an entirely new subject, and we have our first practical exercise this Saturday. They're going to have a simulation set up for us to work through and not get caught by using some of the various tactics we've learned. Teddy told us all these stories he's heard about his mum and how good she was at stealth. But, sadly, we can't all be a Metamorphmagus. He's actually helped out with a lot of the stealth training, and he's normally one of the junior Aurors we spar with._

 _How was the Halloween party? I hope there were lots of photos taken. I'd love to see you dressed up as a Muggle Doctor. And everyone else's costumes as well. What type of activities did you do? Which was your favorite one? I really missed the Halloween feast this year. More than I thought I would. Do you remember how Eva and Dom had a pumpkin pasty eating contest last year? Dom was so sick after that. I honestly don't know how Eva did it, and I don't think I've ever seen Hugo more impressed in his life._

 _We didn't exactly get time off for the holiday, but I've been able to have dinner with my mum at least once a week since we're free to do what we want for meals, and I see her and Dad during my time off on Sundays when I don't have as much studying to do, and sometimes my free Saturdays. I went by the Leaky for dinner on Tuesday this week, and Dom and my mum had it all decorated with pumpkins. There was an exorbitant amount of sweets that Dom had made and we had a nice time, but it really made me miss everyone who wasn't there. It's been strange not to see my dad everyday, but it's been nice to reconnect with my mum. I know she had to handle a lot last year with Gran not being well and Dad unable to really be around. She's tough, though. I really look up to her, and I hope there's part of me that takes after her. And Dad as well._

 _I get what you mean about not trying to be our parents. I think it's easy for people to expect us to be, and we can put that same expectation on ourselves very easily. I was worried that Dad would think I wanted to be an Auror just because he'd done it right out of school, and we did talk about that, but it really wasn't the reason. I don't want to mirror their lives, but I hope their good qualities have rubbed off on me. At least a little bit._

 _And there's nothing wrong with thinking things through. I've actually had some great chats with your dad that have given me some perspective at times. We actually talked during the party we had for Rose and Scorpius at Malfoy Manor, and I was complaining about my roommate. He ended up telling me about what it was like when he had Oliver Wood as a dormmate and how much they didn't get along because of some of the same issues I'm having now, but then Oliver ended up being a friend to him at a time when he really needed it. It made me remember that there's normally a lot more to people than what we see. Especially at first._

 _Not that Logan and I will be that one day, but I've started to look at him a bit differently, and it's definitely helped. I don't think we'll ever be Percy and Oliver, but then I don't think I've ever seen a friendship quite like theirs. They're probably two of the most unlikely friends I've seen, which I think is what makes it so special. But I don't have to tell you all this. You know more about your dad and your godfather than I do._

 _That was a bit of a tangent, but you did say you didn't mind when my letters were long. And I haven't even gotten to telling you more about the other trainees!_

 _Cora is a bit of a firecracker. She's one of the best duelers and shows a lot of promise when it comes to search and rescue as well, which I haven't really gotten into yet, but she's one of the most calm under pressure and shows a lot of intuitive thinking. She actually trained to be a Healer for a year before deciding to become an Auror instead. We were talking about why she decided to no longer pursue being a Healer, and she stated very matter-of-factly that she didn't have a bedside manner. I can see where she's coming from. She has no problem telling you exactly what she thinks. It's sort of refreshing, but can be a lot to handle at times. Especially if she's your sparring partner._

 _I have this coming Saturday off, and since I visited Alice on my last one, I'd been trying to think of how I'd like to spend this one, and I think Dom and I are going to go see Eva! She only has training in the morning, so we'll be able to spend the day together. The area she's in isn't that far from the cabins your uncle owns so Dom's already familiar with the area and has been trying to plan stuff for us to do. I can tell she's been a little antsy lately and is really looking forward to getting out of London. She's been spending time with Fred and Ly a lot, though, which helps expend some of her energy. I've gotten to see them a bit too. It took me awhile to build up enough energy to actually want to do things throughout the week, but now that I'm used to everything, I've been going out a bit more in the evenings._

 _It's strange to have the freedom to go out with people and not have to be back by curfew. I wondered if we'd have one, but we were told they want us to learn to balance life ourselves rather than giving us rules, seeing as that's what it will be like once we're actually working. So I really appreciate that. More than I thought I would._

 _I think the importance of what I'll be doing outweighs the concept of how dangerous it is. It's something that I'm aware of and don't take lightly, but I do my best not to let fear have a prominent presence. Things might get dangerous or downright terrifying at times, but if I can make the world at least a little bit safer for the people I love, isn't it worth the risk?_

 _It's crazy that it's already November. Not much time left before term is over! Do you still have a lot on your plate or is it dying down a bit? I feel like it does right around now. Before they dump everything on you at the end of term._

 _Hope all is well!_

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _Nov. 14th, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _The party went wonderfully! There was pumpkin carving and apple bobbing and a haunted maze, and everyone looked fantastic. My cousins made fools of themselves on the dance floor, and Jill completely lost it in the haunted maze. It was all incredibly entertaining. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes something of a Hogwarts tradition._

 _I'm glad stealth training is going well! It must be nice to work with Teddy. I bet he's a great trainer._

 _I enjoyed your tangent. It was actually something I needed to hear. I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want to go with a career, and part of me has always resisted a Ministry job because it's what my parents do. I think there is a danger with wanting to become your parents, but I also think it can go the other way as well. They're a part of who we are, so it's okay to embrace those parts that are just as much a part of us as they are of them. So who knows. Maybe I will end up in a job at the Ministry, but I hope I'll be doing something that I'm passionate about._

 _Like Victoire, for example. She works in the Muggle Liaison Office, and she's so passionate about it that she started taking Muggle classes! I just have to find something that I'm not only good at, but I won't feel like I'm forcing myself to do._

 _Also, Uncle Oliver is the best. People have actually compared my friendship with Jill to the one he has with my dad, only we became close much earlier. We're so very different from each other. I'm rather reserved most of the time, and I don't think Jill ever runs out of energy. She's not very tidy either, if I'm honest, and she has trouble focusing at times. But she's brilliant. She's always the first to do whatever we're working on in Charms correctly._

 _Speaking of Jill, something happened the other day, and I don't know if it's good or bad, and I wasn't even sure if I should say anything, but it got me thinking, and I have to talk through things if I'm thinking about them too much or it will drive me mad. Plus, your sister was there, and it's entirely possible she'll say something to you, so I figured it's best that I do as well._

 _Other than telling Lucy, who I tell just about everything to, I hadn't mentioned to anyone that we've been writing each other. It's not like I was necessarily trying to hide it, but I never said anything. Jill, Erin, and Rose now all know. I was reading your last letter during lunch, and Erin got her hands on it. The only reason I think she might reach out to you is because she wasn't entirely happy that she didn't know. I don't see what the big deal is, though, because we are friends._

 _Anyway. Jill was a bit upset that I hadn't told her, which I do feel bad about. But the reason I didn't was because she's the type of person that will take something and run with it, and I didn't want her getting the wrong idea._

 _So I just wanted to give you fair warning that our secret is out. If it was even a secret to begin with. I'm trying not to get in my head about any of this, but Erin said some things and it just got me thinking about other things, and I just hope you know that I really do appreciate your friendship. I'm sorry if I'm not making much sense. Are you alright with the fact that people know we write to each other? I just know my family, and no matter what the circumstances actually are, they like to talk. I just don't ever want you feeling uncomfortable or that you can't still be my friend._

 _I hope your not upset that they know. I also hope you're not upset that I was being a bit secretive. Hopefully, I'll hear from you again. If I didn't scare you off with all this nonsense that I can't even make sense of._

 _I'm glad you've been able to adjust to your new normal, and that you've been able to spend more time with your friends. And your mum. I hope she's well, and I hope you and Dom had a nice time with Eva!_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _Nov. 20th, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _I'm not upset at all. I hadn't really said anything to anyone either, other than my mum. And that only happened because I let slip something you said in one of your letters. I figured that our business is our business. Plus, I like the fact that it's just you and me. Not that other people knowing ruins that in any way, but it was nice for a while to not feel any outside pressure. I know what friends can be like about these things, and I can imagine the type of things Erin would have said to you. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable either. I'm not planning on worrying about any ideas that anyone gets. It's not going to change the fact that I don't want to change what's happening._

 _I've really enjoyed getting to know you more. I know it's not the same as seeing each other and talking in person, but I like being able to just sit back and read what you have to say. Of course I'd love to be able to actually see you, so I'm glad we only have a month till Christmas._

 _Sounds like it was a great party! I'm sorry I missed everyone making fools of themselves. I had a fantastic time with Dom and Eva, though. She was so glad we came. It's rather chilly in Kenmare right now, but we went over to her training facility, and we even flew around for a bit. It's not as big and fancy as the one the actual team plays on, but it's the biggest pitch I've ever used._

 _Other than that, we hung around the training facilities living quarters. They have some nice common areas so we got to lounge around and just catch up while Dom baked some of Eva's favorite foods. It was a much needed time for all of us to just get away from everything else._

 _Not that life isn't great already. It's just a lot to deal with at times and a lot of pressure to keep going and going. It's important to take breaks. I hope you're doing that with all your crazy amounts of homework. It's probably about to pick up again soon._

 _Have you thought much about what branches of the Ministry might interest you? I know you still have time and you don't have to figure it out now, but I also know you well enough to know that you've at least let your mind wander there. Anything for sure off the list? Anything you want to look into more? I know you don't always like going to your parents about these things since you want to figure it out on your own, but they could be helpful in giving you ideas. Maybe you could go to the Ministry with them and visit some departments while you're home for Christmas. Just a thought._

 _I almost forgot to tell you about one of the other trainees! We'll go with Mason. I've mentioned he's been one of my field partners and he's a year older, but I think the first thing I noticed was how tall he is. He's a head taller than I am, and I'm not exactly short. Apparently, he had a bit more trouble with stealth at first, but he's really gotten the hang of it now. He's also probably the best with hand to hand combat because he's got quite a bit of strength as well as height. He likes a good laugh, Mason, but only during off duty hours. He's as focused as they come during training._

 _I'll tell Mum you say hello._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _Dec. 1st, 2023_

 _Ethan,_

 _Please forgive how long it took me to write back! You were right when you said things were about to get overwhelming again._

 _Have I told you about our new Muggle Studies Professor? His name is Malcolm Bray, and I think he was in school with Teddy. His younger sister is good friends with Lucy and Lily, but I'd never met him before. Everyone really likes him. He's had us working our way through a piece of Muggle literature during our first term, and I think he's doing the same with the other years based on what I've heard. Different books, though. We're reading The Odyssey, first the Muggle version, and then the original one. It's fascinating how much they changed it to take out any mention of magic and witches and wizards. So many of the characters were magical! But the story turns out exactly the same. I just finished it yesterday. Part of Professor Bray's reason for having us read them both was to look at the same story from different points of view._

 _I wonder sometimes what it would be like to step into a Muggle's shoes and live the way they do. He's told us stories about his family, since he's Muggle born, and it's amazing how differently he's able to see the world because of it. I'm a bit jealous, really. I remember talking to Aunt Hermione once about how much more eager she was when she got to school than Uncle Ron, since he'd grown up with magic. It wasn't new to him. Magic is all I've ever known, and I wonder sometimes what it would be like if that wasn't the case._

 _We wrote reflection essays all term, and now we have to go through all of those and write an overall summary, comparing how we saw things in the first version with our take on the second. I've already started looking back through what I wrote, and it's been fascinating. I can't wait to see what he has for us to do next term._

 _I'm glad you had such a nice time with Dom and Eva! It's nice to just get away sometimes, no matter how great life is. What have you been learning in training recently? Have you been going into the field more?_

 _You do make a good suggestion about going into the Ministry with my parents. I've been before, but only ever just to visit them. Maybe it would be smart to wander around some of the other departments and meet people and see what they do. Who knows what goes on that I'm not even aware of! I could be missing something that's a perfect fit for me._

 _Mason sounds a bit terrifying, actually, but maybe that's just because I'm about a head shorter than you. He does sound like I'd want him on my side in a fight, though. It's probably nice to have him on your team when you go out into the field. Have you had anything exciting happen or have you been able to do anything new?_

 _I'm glad you're not worried and that you don't want to change what's happening. I don't want to either._

 _Lucy says hello!_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _Dec. 9th, 2023_

 _Molly,_

 _You come home in one week! Are you excited? What are you most looking forward to about the holiday? I almost keep forgetting that Teddy and Victoire are going to be getting married, but then I really shouldn't be. It's almost like he gets happier every day. Harry seems really happy too. It's almost like his own son is getting married, since that's basically what Teddy is._

 _There are going to be so many opportunities to see everyone over the holiday, and I'm thankful that I will finally be getting some time off. I don't get the same holiday as I did when I was at Hogwarts, but I get a few days. The world doesn't stop so neither can we._

 _Sounds like the new Muggle Studies Professor is a hit with the students! Teddy's actually mentioned him, since he's in the wedding, so I guess I'll meet him then. I never took Muggle Studies because I never heard great things about Professor Bancroft. I probably would have if Bray had been there._

 _As far as training goes, I actually helped detect a curse! There was some vandalism done in Muggle London that definitely had the appearance of magical interference, and it did! I can't tell you much else about it, since it's technically classified, but it was amazing to actually be useful._

 _Can I be honest? As much as I'm looking forward to the holidays and taking a bit of a break and seeing everyone, I'm sort of dreading it. It'll be the first Christmas without Gran. I know it's going to be rough for my whole family, but I'm really worried about Erin. Her letters don't really mention much about how she's doing with it all, even when I ask her. I'm just worried she's ignoring it and not dealing with it at all, which is never good for her._

 _I know I probably worry too much, but she's my little sister. I'm sure you're the same with Lucy. You want the best for her and you want to look out for her and be there for her in any way you can, which is hard to do when she won't let you._

 _It'll be nice to be back with all of my family again. I'm really looking forward to seeing my sisters. No matter how much they drive me batty at times._

 _I'm looking forward to seeing you as well, and I know I probably won't hear from you again before I see you since you have so much work to be getting on with before term ends. I already promised a few of the other trainees that I'd go to the Diagonal Alley Christmas Festival with them, but I should still be on the roof for fireworks. If I don't run into you there, I guess I'll see you at the Potters' on Christmas Eve!_

 _Until then, good luck with your final assignments, and Happy Christmas,_

 _Ethan_

* * *

 **A/N: Hope this wasn't excessive, but once I got into writing these, it was hard to stop. I really love them, and I hope you do too! Let me know what you think! Next few chapter will probably be about them as well. I already have two more written and I have at least one more planned.**


	16. Cold - Ethan

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Ltitle Faith:_ Chapter 28 - _And I'll find strength in pain_**

* * *

\- _Ethan -_

It was the night of the Diagon Alley Christmas Festival, and Ethan was more nervous than he thought he'd be. It wasn't like he had much to be nervous for, but however things went, he desperately wanted them to go well. That was enough to set anyone on edge.

Dom and Eva hadn't helped much with any of his nerves. They'd teased him mercilessly when he and Dom had gone out to visit Eva last month, and Ethan was now convinced that he never should have told them he'd taken a fancy to Molly Weasley.

It had started so gradually, he'd hardly even known what he was saying the first time he brought it up. It was just after Christmas break their seventh year. The three of them were spending the day in Hogsmeade together, and Dom and Eva had been persistently asking Ethan why he hadn't tried to find a date that particular weekend, which was ridiculous since he didn't normally take a date to Hogsmeade. But they'd continued to tease and nag him anyway, most likely for their own entertainment than any other reason.

"Come on, Ethan," Dom had needled. "There isn't one girl that you might want to get cozy in a corner booth with?"

"No, Dom," he'd insisted.

"Well, there has to be at least one girl that you find pretty," Eva had reasoned. "You can't be that blind."

"Of course I'm not," he'd said with a roll of his eyes. "But that doesn't mean I fancy anyone enough to ask them out."

"Oooh, who's caught your eye, Longbottom?" Dom had teased.

They'd continued to goad him until he'd heaved a sigh, giving up and saying in resignation, "I don't know. Molly's rather pretty, I guess."

The reaction this had gained would have been comical had Ethan not instantly regretted his words. Not that he didn't mean them, but he knew that from now on, Dom and Eva would never fail to bring it up whenever the opportunity presented itself. He'd done what he could to forestall them, saying it was nothing and they shouldn't make a big deal out of it, but that didn't do much good. He'd just noticed her and that was all, he'd explained. He and Molly were friends.

Of course, once it was out there in the open, Ethan found the topic impossible to avoid, either with his friends or in his own head. His mind became plagued with thoughts of whether or not it was just a passing fancy. Could it be possible that there was something more to it?

When he thought about it objectively, there wasn't anything about Molly that made her stand out in a crowd, except for maybe her dark red hair that fell in soft waves past her shoulders. She was pretty, that much was true, but what had made him say Molly Weasley above anyone else? Rose was just as pretty, if not objectively more so. So were Elaine Goyle and Zoey Drake. And most boys in the school would have pointed to Dominique when asked who the prettiest girl in his year was. So why had he said Molly?

Ethan had paid closer attention after that. As it turned out, he was better friends with Molly than he'd formerly realized. They normally spent at least one afternoon a week working on homework in the library together. Sometimes accompanied by others and sometimes not. He found himself sitting next to her a handful of times a week at meals, both at his house table and hers. It wasn't long before he came to the conclusion that there was something about who Molly was as a person that made him see her differently than all of the other girls in the school. Something that drew him to her. By the time his seventh year ended, he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He'd kept his realizations to himself, knowing that he only had so much time left at school and she was only in her fifth year. It wouldn't be fair to either of them if he said anything to her now. Then again, he also didn't want the physical distance that was soon to be inevitable between them to cause them to grow apart in their friendship.

Which was what led him to asking if he could write to her over the school year. He had no clue where or what it would lead to, but he knew he wanted to find out.

And then he'd finally told Dom and Eva during their weekend at Eva's that he thought he might actually fancy Molly, and it had been nonstop needling and questions since then, both of them claiming they'd known things were heading this way the moment he'd admitted he thought she was pretty. Now, however, he was regretting ever making such a statement in front of his two best friends, and regretting even more that he'd finally told Dom that he and Molly had been writing to each other all term.

"You should hug her," Dom suggested when she cornered him on the roof of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. He'd ditched his fellow trainees and come to join his family and the many Weasleys at the end of the Diagon Alley Christmas Festival. Molly hadn't shown up yet for the fireworks, and Ethan hadn't seen her since she came home from school. He hadn't heard from her either, so he didn't even know if she'd be coming tonight.

"I probably will," said Ethan, annoyed that Dom thought it necessary to advise him in this way. "If it makes sense to."

"Oh, I know!" Dom said in excitement. "Just stick with me, and she'll hug me when she sees me, and then it will make sense for her to hug you too."

"I'm glad Eva's not here," said Ethan. "You're more insufferable when there's two of you."

Dom ignored him. "And then I'll make some excuse to wander off and leave you alone together."

She was wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively, and as annoyed as Ethan was, he had a hard time not laughing.

"You know you're just making me nervous, right?" he asked her. Dom scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.

"You have no reason to be nervous. She's been writing you back, hasn't she? She's going to be thrilled to see you."

"Who will?" asked Rose, coming up to them with a curious expression on her face.

"No one," said Ethan quickly, smiling as Dom squealed in delight at seeing her cousin and quickly pulled her into a hug. Rose smiled at Dom's reaction, but something seemed off. She was generally a happy person, but her eyes seemed dull, and she was making an effort to smile.

"Good to see you too, Ethan," said Rose, breaking away from her cousin and giving Ethan a hug as well.

"You too," he told her as she stepped out of his embrace. "How was your term?'"

"I'd rather talk about anything other than school, actually," said Rose. Dom and Ethan both looked at her in shock for a moment, a slightly awkward silence settling in before Rose broke it.

"How's training?" she asked Ethan, forcing a smile once again.

"It's great," he said grabbing onto the subject for Rose's sake. "Nice to get a bit of a break, though."

Before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted by Lysander, who approached them with an arm full of fireworks.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked Dom abruptly.

"Blue," said Dom with an amused chuckle. "What's with all of those?"

She gestured to the oddly shaped and colorful boxes in Lysander's arms.

"These are the ones for the finale," he said, lifting his arms as if to show them the fireworks more closely. "Some of them are the ones that let you choose your own color. I was about to get them set up. Wanna help?"

Dominique excitedly agreed and went to help Ly and Fred, but Ethan's attention was on Rose, whose gaze had drifted across the roof towards the stairs. Scorpius was sitting on the low wall that wrapped around the roof, James next to him as they had what appeared to be a rather serious conversation.

Thanks to the content of Molly's letters over the course of term, Ethan knew that Rose and Scorpius hadn't had the most carefree few months. As far as he knew, however, things had been going smoothly for the last month or so. At least, he hadn't heard anything to the contrary.

"You alright, Rose?" he found himself asking, traces of concern in his voice. She didn't respond right away, her gaze still fixed on James and Scorpius.

"This whole Head Girl thing is harder than I thought it was going to be," Rose eventually said with a sigh. She turned to look at Ethan, resignation and exhaustion clearly present on her face. "How did you manage to not let your personal feelings cloud your judgment?"

Ethan gave her a small smile. "I don't think I actually did all that well in that department. I tried to do what I had to, but I didn't necessarily like it all the time."

Rose let out another sigh, her gaze flickering towards James and Scorpius momentarily. "He messed up," she said resignedly. "I know he did. But I know it's not who he is. He might have lost sight of that, but I haven't. I'm just not sure how to get him to see what I do."

"Well," Ethan said slowly, "I don't know the details, but I do know Scorpius. Whatever he's done, I'm willing to bet he regrets it."

"He better," said Rose, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow. "He managed to put both of us in a tight spot with this one."

Ethan bit back a smile at Rose's scowl. He'd always liked his younger sister's best friend. She'd been a good friend to Erin many times, and she balanced out the rather irrational behavior his sister could be prone to. But Rose definitely rivaled Erin in stubbornness.

"You haven't talked to him about it yet, have you?"

"What?" Rose asked, her eyes widening a bit in surprise. Ethan let himself smile knowingly at Rose.

"I just know how stubborn you are and how nonconfrontational Scorpius is. And I also know that you two aren't the type to let something dismantle your friendship. If you're still not getting along, you probably haven't talked to each other since whatever happened went down."

Rose gave Ethan a look that clearly showed she was annoyed by how accurately he'd read the situation. "I just don't know what to say to him."

Ethan shrugged uncertainly. "Maybe start with the truth?"

Rose let out a frustrated sigh. "He should be the one apologizing to me. I really don't owe him anything at the moment."

Ethan arched an eyebrow at her, and Rose looked away from him, her face a bit ashamed as she directed her gaze towards her feet.

"I know what you're going to say," she said before Ethan could voice his opinion. "I've been telling myself the same thing. I shouldn't let my pride get in the way, right? Not if he matters to me."

"Something along those lines," Ethan said with a smile. Rose gave an annoyed huff, scuffing her boot against the cement floor.

"It would be easier if he mattered a little bit less."

She'd said it so quietly, Ethan wasn't sure at first that he'd heard her, but then she looked up at him, her face slightly pink and a bit embarrassed. She glanced back over to where James was now standing, saying a few last words to Scorpius before walking away.

"Now's your chance," said Ethan, nudging her lightly with his elbow. Rose gave him one last look of annoyance before putting on a stern expression, taking a deep breath, and marching towards her fellow Head student. Ethan watched her go with a slight smile on his face that immediately fell away as a few more people made their way onto the roof.

Lucy Weasley had come up the ladder, closely followed by Jill Boot, and before Ethan could fully prepare himself, Molly pulled herself over the ledge and onto the roof of the joke shop.

Her beautiful, wavy, dark red hair had grown longer since he'd last seen her, now reaching close to her elbows. It was partially covered by a dark blue knit cap that matched the scarf wrapped around her neck. She quickly shoved her bare hands into her coat pockets once she was on the roof, her eyes scanning the sky and then the crowd before she smiled as her aunt Angelina approached her.

"Wow, you've got it bad, yeah?"

Ethan gave a startled jump at the sound of Erin's voice. She was standing at his side, her gaze the same direction as his.

"When did you get here?" he asked, wanting to divert her attention and also realizing he'd missed her arrival.

"Same time as Rose," she said, looking at him with a small smile. "What were you two talking about?"

"Not much," Ethan said with a shrug. "I take it things aren't good with those two, though."

He nodded towards Rose and Scorpius, who were now sitting next to each other, the tension obvious between them.

"Definitely not great," Erin said with a sigh. "But there's no use discussing it. You, however," she said with an evil grin. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" he asked, feigning innocence. She smacked his arm with her gloved hand.

"That you fancy Molly," she said in a harsh whisper. "I can't believe you would keep something like that from me."

"Have I ever told you stuff like that before?" he asked. Erin let out an annoyed huff. "And who says I fancy her anyway?"

Erin's face clearly showed that she wasn't buying his denial. "I know you, Ethan. You wouldn't write novel length letters to just any girl. She's got to mean something to you."

He knew he was caught now. No use denying anything. That didn't mean he had to admit it either. And he had the perfect way to turn the attention away from himself.

"As far as I know," he began with a smirk, "you wouldn't kiss just any old bloke either."

Erin's face turned bright red, and a scowl quickly chased the shocked look away from her face.

"How do you know about that?" she asked accusingly.

"I have my sources. Care to elaborate?"

"I bloody well will do no such thing," she said haughtily. "It's none of your business."

Ethan arched an unimpressed brow at his sister, who gave a sound of exasperation, huffing at him before turning and walking to where Al, James, and Violet were setting up a place to sit. He could only shake his head and smirk at her retreating form.

"They're a bit ridiculous, aren't they?" a voice said at his elbow. And he nearly jumped in surprise a second time that night as he turned to face the owner of the soft voice.

Molly was smiling shyly at him, and Ethan realized he'd lost track of where she was during his conversation with Erin. Her cheeks were now a light pink, thanks to the cold, and her hands were still shoved in her pockets. He'd forgotten how pretty she actually was, the absence of her regular presence in his life allowing him to appreciate her even more. Or maybe she'd simply grown more beautiful in the months since he'd last seen her.

He managed to return her smile, racking his brain to process what she'd said and come up with an appropriate response. He cast a glance towards where Erin was now sitting on a blanket on the ground in front of Al, who occupied a lawn chair.

"A bit, yeah," he said with a small laugh, his eyes unable to stay away from Molly long and immediately going back to her. He wanted to hug her, keep her warm, something. And he had no clue what to say next. Thankfully, she gave a light chuckle before stepping closer to him, and Ethan acted on instinct, his arm going around her shoulder in a hug as hers went around his waist.

"It's good to see you," he said as she pulled away, her hands going immediately back in her coat pockets.

"You as well," said Molly with a small smile. "And as ridiculous as your sister might be at times, I bet it's nice to see her too. I know you've missed her."

Ethan smiled as her words eased his nerves. He'd been worried for some reason that they'd ignore the actual nature of their friendship, avoiding referencing the fact that they'd kept in touch all term. He felt immediate relief that that was not going to be the case.

"I don't miss everything," he said with a chuckle. "Her instinctual response of denying anything having to do with her feelings being one of them."

Molly chuckled. "She's rather good at that. Is she doing alright, though? I know you were worried about how she'd handle Christmas."

"Yeah, I think she's alright," Ethan said with a shrug, glancing over at his sister once again. She was laughing at something James was saying, obviously enjoying herself and appearing not to have a care in the world. "She might be masking it all, though."

Erin really had seemed fine the past few days. He'd been able to spend some time at home, and while he hadn't been able to talk one-on-one with his sister, he hoped he'd have the opportunity to eventually.

"And how are you?" Molly asked, her voice adopting a more concerned tone. Ethan turned his gaze back to her, and he saw that same concern evident on her face. It wasn't patronizing or skeptical, but caring and genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. He couldn't help smiling at her.

"I have my moments, but I'm hanging in there," he admitted. "I think Christmas morning will be the hardest. She used to always be down by the tree before us, ready and waiting for us to dig into our presents. She loved Christmas."

The memory filled him with a mix of sadness and warmth. He knew it would never be the same, but he was thankful for the time they'd had with his great-gran. Molly gave him a sympathetic smile. She was standing close enough that her arm brushed against his slightly. He didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but even if it wasn't, he still took comfort in it.

Before either of them could say anything else, a squeal followed by a bang echoed through the air, followed by the sound of Dom's joy-filled laughter. Molly had jumped a bit in surprise, her hand gripping his arm momentarily in her shock before she let go, looking embarrassed by her reaction. Ethan gave her a reassuring smile, pulling his wand and conjuring two lawn chairs before sitting in one.

Molly glanced around before taking the other seat. Ethan saw that Lucy and Jill had found a spot to sit with Hugo, Lily, and Louis. None of them were paying him and Molly much attention, and only a few pairs of eyes glanced their way. He was glad that Molly chose to join him rather than her friends, despite the fact that she was bound to be teased or at least questioned later.

Sitting back in his seat, Ethan enjoyed the bright colors that flashed across the sky as Fred and Lysander continued to set off fireworks. His chair was angled just the right way next to Molly's so that he could still see her out of the corner of his eye. He tried to keep his expression neutral as she subtly glanced his way, but he knew there was a small smile on his face. One that had been there since she'd first come up to him. He didn't think it would be going anywhere the rest of the evening.

They continued to watch the fireworks until Ethan noticed Molly shiver out of the corner of his eye.

"You cold?" he asked as the fireworks still exploded overhead.

"A bit," she admitted. "I didn't bring gloves."

Ethan glanced around, not entirely sure what he was looking for. It wasn't as if a pair of gloves would just suddenly appear in front of him. Not without a little magic.

After pulling out his wand, Ethan took off his own pair of gloves, ignoring Molly looking quizzically at what he was doing and asking to see her hand. She slowly pulled one from her pocket, holding it out in front of her as she watched him skeptically. He silently duplicated his gloves, picking up the new pair and glancing at her hands before shrinking them to what he thought would be the right size.

"There," he said, placing a warming charm on them for good measure before handing them over. Molly had a slightly stunned expression on her face as she took the pair of black wool gloves that were a smaller copy of his own.

"Thanks," she said, but Ethan barely heard it over the bang of the fireworks. He watched with a pleased smile as she pulled on the gloves. They appeared to fit perfectly as she flexed her fingers experimentally, sighing and closing her eyes as her hands immediately felt warmer.

Ethan continued to watch her until she opened her eyes and found him looking at her. Her cheeks were already pink from the cold, but he could've sworn they turned even pinker. But he didn't look away, his smile growing as she kept his gaze.

And then she smiled back, and Ethan felt warmth spread through him in spite of the cold.


	17. Warm - Molly

**A/N: This takes place in Chapters 29-31 of _Show a Little Faith._**

* * *

 _\- Molly -_

Molly was trying desperately to focus on her task. Al had immediately handed over a box of ornaments as soon as she'd entered the house, giving her the job of helping Rose decorate the tree. She was thankful to have something to do. Something to distract her from the thoughts that had been running rampant through her mind since the night she'd watched fireworks on the roof of her uncles' joke shop with Ethan Longbottom.

She hadn't let herself think too much about how she felt about the young Auror. Ethan was someone she'd known for a long time, and they'd become even better friends over the past few years. Nothing had ever made her really think about him in any other way, until he'd asked if he could write to her during the school year.

Molly hadn't known what to expect from their correspondence, and she had been surprised to find how much she looked forward to hearing from him almost every week. And she was even more surprised by how nervous she'd been to see him the day before.

They hadn't really had much of a chance to talk after the fireworks, with Ethan being pulled away by Dom to go down to Violet and Roxanne's flat. But the time they had spent together was seared into her memory. Every part of it, from the way he'd smiled at her to the sound of his voice and the weight of his arm the small amount of time it had been around her. Not to mention his thoughtful act of producing a pair of gloves for her.

And now she was all done up and decorating a Christmas tree and doing her best not to think about what he was going to say when he saw her. She was in serious danger of developing real feelings for Ethan Longbottom, and she was both dreading the moment he arrived, and impatiently waiting for it to come.

"Is anyone else here yet?" she asked Rose, having only seen members of the Potter family.

"No," said Rose. "My dad and Hugo aren't even here yet. Looking for someone in particular?"

Molly quickly shook her head, going back to her task of hanging icicles on the tree and ignoring Rose's knowing smirk. She focused on the decorating as more of her relatives showed up, as well as other families. By the time the tree was finished, the Longbottoms still hadn't shown up. Rose went upstairs to freshen up, and Molly was soon approached by the very festively dressed Luna Scamander.

"Hello, Molly," the older witch said in her customary dreamy voice.

"Happy Christmas, Mrs. Scamander," Molly said with a kind smile. She'd always enjoyed the occasional conversation with Luna.

"To you, as well," she said. "Has my son said anything to you about mistletoe? I know he and Fred have messed around with it in the past, and he was looking a bit suspicious a few minutes ago."

Molly looked at Luna blankly for a moment, taken aback by the question. "Er, no," she said uncertainly. "I don't think I've heard anything about mistletoe. I haven't gotten the chance to talk to either of your sons, really. Sorry."

"Oh, that's quite alright," Luna said as if she hadn't been expecting much. "I'm just worried that Lysander is going to infest the party with Nargles. I'd hate for some of Ginny's things to go missing."

Molly shivered as a cold burst of wind entered the house when the front door opened, most likely welcoming more guests. Luna glanced around the room, her gaze landing on the recently decorated tree.

"It looks beautiful," she said kindly. "I saw you and Rose decorating it."

"Thank you," said Molly. "Did you decorate your home for Christmas?"

"Oh, yes," Luna said with a smile, but Molly lost track of the rest of what the older witch was saying when she caught sight of someone over Luna's shoulder.

Erin was walking towards Rose, who'd made her way back downstairs. And if Erin had arrived, Molly could be fairly certain the rest of her family had as well.

"Are you alright, dear?" Luna asked, pulling Molly's attention back to her.

"Yes," Molly assured her with a small smile. "And it all sounds lovely," she threw in, not entirely sure what she was referring to. Either way, Luna smiled, saying something about hoping she was able to get rid of her wrackspurts before she wandered over to where Lorcan was talking to Bill.

Feeling a bit vulnerable standing by herself in the middle of a party, Molly quickly made her way towards Jill, who was talking with one of her aunts.

"Hello, Molly," her aunt Hermione said pleasantly, greeting her with a hug. "Jill and I were just comparing notes on Muggle Christmas traditions."

"Did she tell you about what her grandparents do?" Molly asked her aunt with a small chuckle.

"I think it's cute," Jill said with a bit of a whine. "They put so much effort into it each year."

Molly laughed before explaining to her curious aunt. "They direct a Christmas play at their church every year. I went once. It's amazing how creative they get when they can't use magic for things."

They shared a laugh, but Jill stopped abruptly, her hand gripping Molly's arm as she looked past her with a look of excitement on her face.

"What?" Molly asked as her aunt's attention was pulled away by one of her sisters-in-law. The expression on Jill's face turned more devious as her eyes met Molly's

"Ethan's here. And he keeps looking over at you."

Molly had to physically restrain herself from turning to look over her shoulder. "Oh?" she managed to say nonchalantly.

"What do you mean, 'oh'?" Jill asked in shock. "Aren't you two-"

"Friends?" Molly cut her off. "Yes, we are."

Jill gave a snort of amusement. "He's a friend who wants to snog you."

Jill giggled as Molly smacked her on the arm. "This is why I didn't say anything to you sooner. Now I'm going to be all flustered and self conscious when he talks to me."

"Maybe he'll just pull you into a secluded corner and you won't have to worry about talking at all," Jill said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Jill!" Molly said in shock, her eyes widening as her best friend laughed. "We're just friends."

Jill only had time to give an unconvinced snort before they were interrupted by Louis and Hugo, and the topic was dropped.

As the evening wore on, it wasn't like Molly was trying to avoid Ethan. That wasn't what she wanted to do. But they had yet to cross paths naturally. Part of her felt silly that she wanted him to come and find her, but she'd been the one to approach him on the roof. She didn't feel brave enough to do it twice.

Molly had nearly given up hope when they were almost to the toasting portion of the evening. She slipped away from her conversation with Victoire and Roxanne, entering the mostly deserted dining room. Being one who didn't care much for parties, Molly took a deep breath of relief before noting that the food had been relatively picked over, and the drinks were heavily depleted. Still, there was some hot cider left, and she gratefully sipped a steaming cup of it as she looked out the dining room window at the snow covered yard.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there when the sound of the door opening behind her pulled her out of her daze. Looking over her shoulder, she offered Alice a slight smile as the older girl breathed out her own sigh of relief.

"It gets to be a bit much after a while, doesn't it?" said Alice as she too poured herself a cup of cider.

"A bit," said Molly. "It must be nice to get some time away from the inn to spend with your family, though."

"It is," said Alice with a shrug, her gaze fixed on her drink and her expression a bit somber.

"How are you all holding up?" Molly asked, sympathetic but trying not to sound too pitying.

"Barely, some days," Alice admitted. "Better, others. I think, as a whole, we're coping well."

"I'm glad," said Molly, offering Alice a warm smile. "I know Ethan's been worried about Erin."

"I think she's doing better than he thinks she is," said Alice, thankfully not even batting an eye at Molly's reference to her brother. "She actually spent the other day baking Great-Gran's recipe for jammy dodgers. I don't think she would have been able to do that a few months ago."

"Does Ethan know that?" Molly couldn't help but ask as they both continued to enjoy the view of the snow covered land surrounding the Potters' home.

"He wasn't around when she was baking," said Alice, fighting a knowing smile, "so he might not. Why do you ask?"

Molly kept her gaze focused out the window, willing herself not to blush as she gave an indifferent shrug. "I just know he's worried."

Molly was surprised to hear Alice give a light chuckle. "He's been known to worry, except when it comes to himself. I think that's part of what makes him good at what he does, though. He pays very close attention to others. He's one of the most selfless people I know."

Molly could only nod in response. Hearing his sister talk about him that way was making her realize even more how well she thought of Ethan Longbottom. To gain a better understanding and appreciation of who he was through his letters was one thing, but to hear him spoken so highly of from a different source was another.

No matter what she'd said to Jill, Molly knew that part of her wouldn't mind at all if she managed to find a moment alone with Ethan Longbottom. The thought had barely popped into her head when the wizard in question poked his head through the door that led to the living room.

"Hi," he said, glancing between Molly and his sister with a pleased smile on his face. "They're about to start toasts."

Alice set down her now empty glass before moving to join her brother, Molly not far behind. Ethan's sister briefly rested her hand on his arm before she walked past him and out the door, but he hardly paid her any mind. His smiling eyes were focused on Molly, who stopped when she reached him.

"Happy Christmas," said Ethan, smiling brightly at her. Molly couldn't help smiling back, despite the nerves that had appeared once again.

"Happy Christmas."

Molly didn't get the chance to say anything else as the sound of her uncle's amplified voice echoed through the house. They both hastily made their way into the large family room that was quickly filling up with the immense number of guests. Ethan locked eyes with her for a moment, giving her one last smile before he followed after Alice and joined his family. Molly let out a sigh before turning to find her own.

* * *

Molly was seriously annoyed with her best friend. She hadn't had another opportunity to talk to Ethan once the toasts were done, as he'd been cornered by by her father and her uncle Bill, who were most likely asking him about his training to become an Auror. It wasn't long after that when people started leaving and she was caught up in saying goodbyes, and then there'd been their cousin meeting, which had banished every other thought from her head.

Now, however, it was hard not to think about being alone with Ethan Longbottom when she was, in fact, alone with Ethan Longbottom.

"Did you remember gloves tonight?" he asked her cheekily, and she laughed in relief that he hadn't let an uncomfortable silence grow between them. They'd just broken away from the rest of their group and were trudging through the snow back to their base.

"I did, actually," she said, holding up her gloved hands for him to see. He smiled when he saw they were the same ones he'd given her to wear the night before. "Mine actually have a hole in them, which is why I didn't wear them yesterday. I think Lucy got me a pair for Christmas, though. She's not the best at being secretive."

Ethan chuckled. "I'm glad they've been helpful," he said with a nod towards her gloved hands that she was now rubbing together.

"Yes, thanks again," she said with a smile. "Although, the warming charm's worn off a bit."

He stopped in his tracks at her comment, causing Molly to do the same and look at him curiously. He glanced around to make sure no one was near by to see him pull out his wand, and Molly gave a sharp intake of breath that was either ignored or went unnoticed by Ethan as he reached out and gently took one of her hands in his. Molly watched transfixed as he held her hand and wordlessly cast a warming charm on the glove before dropping it and grabbing the other hand to do the same.

"There," he said with a pleased smile, his hand gripping hers momentarily before he let that one go as well. "That should do it."

"I thought we weren't supposed to have our wands," Molly asked in surprised.

"Teddy, Vic, and I all have ours in case of emergency," he explained.

"Well, seeing as this wasn't an emergency, we're not supposed to be using magic," said Molly, her tone mockingly judgmental. Ethan laughed as they continued to head towards the area where their base was located.

"I won't tell if you don't."

Molly could only smile at him, and they walked silently together before they reached their base. Any hope she had of continuing to have time alone together was snuffed out when she saw Erin was already standing behind the wall of snow they'd built up. She was leaning against it, her elbow resting on the top and her chin in her hand when she noticed them approaching.

"Finally," Erin said with an exaggerated sigh. "It's been dead boring over here."

"Has no one shown up?" Ethan asked in surprise as they stopped in front of the wall of snow.

"Nope," said Erin. "Which might mean they'll be heading this way soon since they're about to run out of other places to look. What brings you two here?"

"I actually wasn't sure anyone was on guard duty," said Ethan, turning to take in their surroundings.

"Dom was here for a bit," said Erin, "but then she ran of with Louis when he showed up and said Ly was snooping around."

"Do we know what Bobby's up to?" asked Molly.

Erin smirked and gave a snort of amusement. "Hopefully he's off finally snogging your sister."

Molly's eyes widened in surprise, her stuttered attempt at a response cut short by Erin's laughter.

"I'm mostly teasing," Erin assured a flustered Molly. "You have to admit, though. This is somewhat of a perfect setting and opportunity to sneak off for a bit of privacy. Don't get many of those with this group."

Ethan gave a light chuckle and a bit of a nod, obviously agreeing with his sister, though he was seriously avoiding Molly's gaze. Not that she was trying desperately to get him to look at her, but her mind had immediately gone to what could happen if she and Ethan were left alone.

The ideas she had were more conversation than snogging based, though. She had a feeling that if he felt more than friendship for her, he'd be the type of person to want to say it in person, rather than in a letter. Which made her incredibly nervous. She still had no idea what she would say in response to any confessions of more than friendly feelings he might make.

Her mind began to race, and she tuned out the conversation that continued between the two siblings. Did she fancy Ethan? It was entirely possible. She'd known that for months now. It had been hinted at by others and, if she were honest, her mind had gone there on its own before anyone else had ever said anything. It was strange to have known someone her whole life, only for the definition and the parameters of the relationship to suddenly start to shift. It wasn't as if she'd been harboring a secret crush on him for years that was finally coming out in the open. It was all so new to think about him in this way. To let her mind wander towards the idea of snogging him in the Potters' backwoods was uncharted territory.

And then there was the other side of all of this. How did Ethan feel about her?

The sound of someone hurrying towards them had them all turning in the direction that Ethan and Molly had come from only a few minutes ago. Molly held in a laugh when Erin cursed under her breath at the sight of Lucy running towards them, successfully debunking her snogging theory.

"A bunch of them just showed up at our jail," said Lucy, panting as she reached them and slowed to a stop, "which means there's only a couple of them left at their own base."

"Do we know where it is?" Erin asked excitedly, hopping over the wall of snow she'd been standing behind. Ethan then went into a detailed report of what areas had been checked and which were still undiscovered.

"We'll try and round up a few others and head out towards the back of the woods, then," said Erin, grabbing Lucy by the arm and hurrying off in the direction Ethan had indicated would be the most likely location of their opponent's base.

"Guess that puts us on guard duty," said Ethan, and the reality of her situation came crashing down on Molly. She watched silently as Ethan perched himself on the wall of snow, before he looked at her expectantly.

"Right," said Molly, shaking herself out of her panic induced trance and pulling herself up to sit next to him. "So we just sit here and wait for something to happen?"

"Pretty much," said Ethan. He let out a sigh, and Molly watched him as he shifted a bit, most likely trying to make himself more comfortable on the cold, hard snow. His movements had caused him to sit slightly closer to her, though Molly wasn't sure if it was purposeful or not. They weren't touching, but she could feel his presence next to her.

"Did you have a nice time tonight?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "I'm sorry we didn't get to spend any time together. I felt like I was being pulled every direction by your uncles," he said with a chuckle.

"That's what it was like for Teddy when he started training," said Molly with a smile. "Everyone rarely saw him since he was so busy, and then it was like full interrogation time when he actually made any rare appearances. They're all not only genuinely interested in what you're doing, but I feel like they can't help wanting to offer whatever advice they can. It's been ages since any of them saw the type of action that you do. And you're still mostly just training."

Ethan chuckled. "That's a very accurate summary of my evening conversations. Half the time I was taking to Ron, he was reminiscing about when he was an Auror. I don't mind so much, though. They all have fascinating stories. It's remarkable what all they've done."

"Your own dad, too," Molly reminded him. "He was an Auror for those first few years after the war. I'm sure he's got great stories."

Ethan nodded slowly, a look of concentration on his face as he looked out towards the trees surrounding them. Before Molly could worry too much that she'd said the wrong thing, someone else came running towards them.

"Did Lucy come and find you?" asked Rose as she approached them. Ethan nodded and had only just told Rose what had happened, when the sound of someone stepping on a branch reached them from the trees.

Molly watched as Rose taunted their opponents, which quickly incited a rather ferocious attack. After barely having time to let out a shriek of surprise, Molly found herself being pulled down off the wall by Ethan, who'd had the presence of mind to be on alert. He quickly started making ammunition, and Molly chided herself for having been too distracted by their conversation to think of something as important as preparing for exactly what was happening.

They were unable to fend of Lysander as he slid behind their base, being a bit too preoccupied with the onslaught they were receiving from Lily and Caleb. Molly was hardly able to succeed in doing much of anything, and basically sat uselessly next to Ethan as he managed to return their fire. Thankfully, it was all over after only a minute. She heard Lysander cursing that their flag wasn't there, followed by Rose's scream as she was dragged off by Scorpius. Molly finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard all of them running off.

"You can look up now," said Ethan in an amused voice. Realizing that she'd ended up in a crouched position with her arms covering her head, Molly felt slightly foolish as she relaxed and looked up at Ethan. He was smiling in a way that she would have normally described as fondly, except she was too embarrassed to see it that way.

"Sorry," she mumbled, brushing the snow that had been thrown at her off her coat. He reached a hand down, and she allowed him to pull her to her feet. "I sort of froze there, didn't I? That's not much help at all."

Molly avoided his gaze as she continued to brush off the snow.

"Well, it is rather cold out," he said good-naturedly, and Molly gave into the temptation to meet his eyes. "Freezing is perfectly understandable."

He was grinning at her teasingly, and Molly found herself laughing before she could even think about stopping herself. And he was laughing along with her, and they were both brushing away the snow they were covered in, and Molly hoped he didn't noticed the way her breath caught when he reached out and brushed some of the snow out of her hair.

"Maybe it's best if we camp out behind the wall this time," said Ethan, and Molly nodded before following him behind the wall, where he sat with his back to it, completely obscured from view.

"Shouldn't we be able to see if anyone's coming?" asked Molly as she sat somewhat hesitantly beside him.

"More likely than not, we'll hear them," he said with a shrug. "Besides, this gives us the element of surprise."

Molly chuckled as his conspiratorial smirk. "I guess that means we should keep extra quiet?" she asked in a whisper. He chuckled quietly.

"I guess so," Ethan whispered back. He was smiling brightly at her, obviously delighted by their current circumstances. Molly was thrilled to see such a happy look on his face. Alice had been right when she said Ethan rarely worried about himself. Molly had been worried that he'd be so busy making sure his family was okay, that he wouldn't remember to take care of himself.

But he seemed so happy in that moment. Was it just the fun of the game and the adrenaline rush it brought? Was it because he was with her? As nervous as she'd been earlier, Molly knew that she was incredibly happy to be there with him.

But some of those nerves were starting to come back the longer they sat there staring at each other. He was still smiling, but his smile started to slip as he became distracted. His eyes were now roaming over her face, taking her in. She felt exposed. Like he was seeing everything that was going through her mind, so she quickly turned to look ahead of her instead, doing her best to control her blush. She was exceedingly thankful that the cold was already making her cheeks pink.

She could hear distant sounds of the others as they ran here and there around the Potters' extensive backyard, but the air was otherwise still and silent. There was something about the snow that made things seem quieter to Molly, as if it dulled all sound by blanketing the ground and the trees. It was beautifully peaceful, and Molly found herself relaxing against the wall of snow behind her, the warming charm on her gloves and the presence of the wizard beside her keeping her from growing too cold.

It dawned on her just how close they were sitting when she felt as well as heard Ethan let out a content sigh, his arm brushing lightly against hers. Molly felt a shiver run through her, more out of the slight contact than the cold, but Ethan had noticed. Of course he had. He noticed everything.

"You cold?" he whispered, and Molly found herself smiling at his attempt not to break the peaceful silence that had fallen. She shook her head, glancing sideways at him only for a moment before looking ahead once again. He'd turned his whole body slightly to face her, and Molly could feel him watching her for a few more moments before he went back to looking out into the distance as well. When he turned back around, he ended up closer than he'd been before, and now there was no mistaking the presence of his arm pressed up against hers.

Molly did her best to control her breathing. She'd never been in a position like this before, and she wasn't sure what to do next. Above anything else, she wanted to know what he was thinking.

Instead of focusing on everything she didn't know, she focused on where her hands were clasped tightly in her lap. She hadn't noticed how tightly they were clenched, and she felt a bit of the tension leave her as she relaxed her grip. A small smile tugged at her lips as she flexed her fingers, remembering the first time she'd put on the gloves and felt their warmth. She rubbed her hands over her cold thighs in an attempt to warm them up, realizing that they were starting to go a bit numb. It struck her how much taller he was, seeing their legs stretched out side-by-side. One of his boots seemed to be as big as both her tiny ones combined. She could only assume that were their hands to be compared, his would dwarf her own.

While her arm was pressed up against Ethan's, her leg wasn't, and now that she was focusing on not thinking about things, she found it very easy to move her legs slightly to the left so they were just touching his.

Molly sat completely still for a few moments, waiting to see how and if he would react to the change in their proximity. Her hands were now resting on her thighs, almost gripping them, and his own were folded loosely in his lap. She received the answers to a few of the questions rolling around in her mind a moment later, when he moved so he rested a hand on his leg that was next to hers, bending the other one so that he could prop his other arm on his knee. Seeing his hand next to hers made her realize just how much he'd had to shrink his duplicated pair of gloves to fit her hands.

She watched almost mesmerized as he flexed his hand, before he lay it flat against his thigh and spread his fingers so his pinky stretched out and brushed against her leg. Before Molly could think too much about it, she heard Ethan give a breathy laugh, and her gaze snapped to his face. He was looking down at their hands, an amused yet slightly nervous look on his face.

"Yours are so much smaller than mine," he said, so quietly that Molly barely heard him. She looked back at their hands just in time to see him turn his over and slip it under hers. Molly held her breath as he stretched his hand out beneath hers, comparing the sizes. The tips of her fingers barely reached the top knuckles of his own. He was able to just bend his fingers over the tops of hers, and it made Molly feel so small next to him, but definitely not in a bad way. It was somehow oddly comforting.

Feeling emboldened by how right it felt, Molly flexed her own fingers, drawing them in so they brushed against his palm before stretching them out against his once again. He moved his fingers between hers momentarily before copying the same gesture that she had made, dragging his fingers down hers and towards her palm. His touch was gentle, and it sent chills down her spine. His voice was soft and hesitant as he spoke her name.

"Molly?"

She slowly turned her head to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were looking at her intently. She felt his fingers slip between hers, and she let out a shaky breath as he gripped her hand. He paused for a moment as if mustering up the courage to speak. She saw something like resolve in his expression, and Molly felt as if she were about to burst from the anticipation.

The tension abruptly broke when they heard the sound of a few people quickly heading their way, and Molly swiftly pulled her hand from his and stood. She lost her balance for a moment, but Ethan had stood along with her, and his hand on her back had her steady a moment later.

Multiple members of their team were heading towards them, and Molly realized that she'd almost forgotten about why they were out in the woods to begin with. Any chance of having anymore time alone with Ethan seemed impossible. Not that they wouldn't continue to see each other over the holiday, but would they ever have another opportunity like the one they'd stumbled into tonight?

Molly could no longer deny that something was happening between her and Ethan, and now more than ever, she wanted to see what it could be. She stole one last glance at Ethan as a handful of her cousins headed towards them, and she gave him a small smile. He returned it warmly, his hand remaining on the small of her back for a moment before he stepped away and around the wall of snow to meet their teammates, leaving Molly to follow.

It was strange for her to think that she was so nervous to spend any time alone with him at the beginning of the evening, and now, that was something she craved. It was going to be even harder to leave for school once again. To only have contact with him through letters. Until that time came, she was going to soak up every moment with him that she could get.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter is just Ethan, no Molly. But she is talked about!**


	18. Okay - Ethan

A/N: **This takes place after Chapter 31 of _S_** ** _how a Little Faith_**

* * *

\- _Ethan -_

Even if he'd been able to fall asleep, Ethan had a feeling that the roaring of the night wind would have woken him up. He was so used to sleeping in the solid concrete building where the Auror housing was, that it felt strange to be back in his parents' country house. His bed was a welcome comfort, but with all the thoughts running through his mind - mixed with the general excitement that came with Christmas morning no matter how old you grew - sleep evaded him.

The night hadn't gone how he'd expected, but he didn't think there was a single thing about it that he would change. There were plenty of things he could easily regret not saying or doing, but he couldn't quite bring himself to feel that way, despite the emotional turmoil he now found himself in.

He was a rather notoriously slow mover. He'd taken years to tell people he wanted to become an Auror, and he'd liked Molly for how long before he'd made any type of move? He'd never been in a rush to leave school or move out of his parents' home. It wasn't like he would have taken ages to do it like Alice had, but he'd never been as anxious to gain independence as Erin appeared to be. As far as he was concerned, a snail's pace was a fine one to be moving at. Tonight, however, was the first time in his life where he could remember wanting nothing but the ability to move faster than he was able to. And it was killing him.

With a resigned sigh, Ethan threw off his covers - which included the well worn quilt that his great-gran had made for him years ago - and got out of bed. He quietly walked across the cold hardwood floor, only pausing to put on a pair of wool socks and a sweatshirt before heading out of his room and down towards the kitchen.

He sighed as he moved quietly down the stairs, pausing at the bottom when he noticed quite a bit of light coming from the sitting room. Rather than heading left and into the kitchen, he turned right instead, looking curiously around the room before his eyes landed on its lone occupant.

Erin was sitting across the room, curled up on the small love seat that sat by the Christmas tree. The sight filled Ethan with a mixture of pain and warmth. It was where their great-gran would usually be sitting when they came running down the stairs on Christmas morning. Erin was even wearing a sweater that he knew had once belonged to their grandmother, and the quilt that she'd made for Erin was draped across her lap. Other than the fire burning in the hearth, the only light in the room was coming from the Christmas tree.

Erin was looking at a rather large book that Ethan didn't recognize, her eyes flying all over the pages as a small smile tugged at her lips.

"What are you doing up?" Ethan asked as he moved into the room. His sister's gaze snapped quickly up to him, but she didn't seem overly startled as she gave him a soft smile.

"Couldn't sleep for some reason," she said quietly. "You?"

"Same," he said with a sigh, moving further into the room and over to join Erin on the small sofa. "I'm not used to a creaking house."

Erin chuckled as he lifted the end of her quilt and sat, draping it across his own lap. Resting his arm across the back of the couch, he looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see the book contained pictures rather than words.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked, surprised and a bit in awe as he looked at pictures of Erin with various friends.

"Al," Erin said with a shy smile and a quiet voice, her eyes locked on a picture of her with the boy in question from when they were kids. "He gave it to me tonight. He had a bit of Dad's help putting it together, apparently."

"Wow," said Ethan, unable to not be impressed as she turned the page. "That took quite a bit of thought and effort."

Erin merely nodded as she continued to look over the pictures, the new page mostly filled with pictures of her with her family members. Ethan chuckled when his eyes landed on one of the two of them and Alice from when he was about seven, meaning Erin would have been five and Alice would have been eleven. It warmed him to see that the set up from that Christmas over a decade ago was almost identical to the way their house looked now. The three of them were sitting in front of the tree, bright smiles on their faces. Erin was in Alice's lap, and Ethan kept turning around to look at all the presents under the tree. But it was the picture next to it that Erin couldn't seem to take her eyes off of.

It was of the same Christmas, but this one was of Erin and Great-Gran. The small blonde girl was curled up in the older witch's lap in the same spot Erin was sitting in now.

"I really miss her."

For a moment, Ethan wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly, but then it fully registered that his sister had actually spoken.

"I do too," he said, equally as quiet as she had. Erin gave a sniffle before clearing her throat and turning the page, obviously trying to compose herself. Ethan, meanwhile, couldn't believe that not only had Al gone through the trouble to put this gift together for Erin, but that he knew her well enough to know how good of an idea it was. Ethan probably would have done everything he could to hide these pictures, worried that they'd just upset her. And even though she'd teared up only moments ago, she was holding up better than he ever would have expected.

"Do you remember this?" she asked with a chuckle, pointing at a picture of the two of them and the Potters. They weren't much older than they'd been in the previous pictures, making him think they were organized in chronological order. Alice wasn't in the picture, so it must have been during the school year. They were at what looked like some sort of park in London that had a giant fountain in the background. James was holding a three-year-old Lily, who didn't look too happy to still be out in the cold, and Ethan was standing obediently next to James. Al and Erin, however, were causing their usual trouble. He was laughing and splashing around in a puddle, and Erin was going back and forth between being angry at Al for getting her wet, and splashing around with him.

"Yeah," Ethan said with a chuckle. "You two were menaces all day."

"Hey!" said Erin, elbowing him lightly in the side, though she smiled and didn't seem upset in the slightest. "He was the one who was a menace. Always knew how to drive me crazy."

"He still does, I take it," Ethan couldn't help commenting. He also couldn't help smirking when his sister's cheeks turned slightly pink. "From what I've heard, though, it's in a slightly different way than he used to."

"If you want to ask, then ask," Erin said with a sigh, turning the page once again.

"I would," said Ethan, "except you didn't exactly take kindly to the subject the last time I brought it up."

"He was only a few feet away," she said with a roll of her eyes. "And I'd be more than willing to answer your questions if you answer mine."

"And what questions are those?"

Erin paused in her perusal of the photographs, her lips pursed in thought. She shut the book and turned to face him a little better, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"I've never known you to go after a girl before, so I'm obviously curious. What exactly is going on with you and Molly?"

Ethan sighed, the thoughts that had aided in keeping him from sleeping rushing back to the forefront of his mind.

"First, I want you to promise not to gossip to any of your friends about this," he stated firmly. "Not even Rose."

Erin met his challenging gaze for a moment before she nodded.

"Alright," he said in resignation, and Erin gave a smile of delight. "You obviously already know we've been writing, so what is it you _really_ want to ask?"

Erin smirked at him. "Do you fancy her?"

He couldn't help pausing before answering. He'd only admitted this to Dom and Eva, and it was something entirely different to admit it to his younger sister. His mind flashed to only a few hours ago, when he'd been sitting next to Molly behind a wall of snow, her hand resting gently in his own and providing warmth that had nothing to do with a warming charm.

"Yeah," he said softly, unable to keep a smile off his face. "I do."

Erin beamed at him, and he was touched to see how genuinely happy she was for him.

"Does she fancy you?"

"I'm not sure," he said with a shrug, "but I think she might."

"Well, she hasn't exactly told you to bugger off, has she? So that's a good sign."

"Yeah, but it's Molly," Ethan reasoned, unable to stop a few doubts from creeping in. "She's the nicest person in the world. There aren't many people she'd turn away."

"Ethan, I've seen the way she looks when she reads your letters," Erin said, sounding a bit exasperated by his pessimistic view. "Once I knew you were writing to her, it was always easy to notice when she was reading letters from you. You could just see it all over her face."

"See what?" he asked skeptically.

"You know," Erin said with a roll of her eyes. "The way James looks at Violet, the way Rose looks at Scorp, and the way-"

"The way Al looks at you?"

Erin's mouth hung open for a moment before she snapped it shut and glared at her brother. "We're not talking about me yet."

"Fine," Ethan relented. "You were saying?"

"I was saying," Erin began again, "that it's obvious she really cares about you. Maybe she's not sure exactly just how much, but there's definitely something there. What happened after Lucy and I left the two of you alone?"

Ethan willed his face not to grow pink. He knew that if it did, Erin would jump straight to much more intimate activities than had actually gone on.

"Well…" he slowly began. "Rose showed up a few minutes later, and then we were ambushed. She got dragged off and everyone left. We were alone for a good five or ten minutes after that."

Erin watched him expectantly, clearly not about to let him get away with the bare minimum of an explanation. He let out an exaggerated sigh before continuing.

"We talked, sat behind the wall, and there might have been the tiniest amount of hand holding."

If she hadn't been afraid of waking up the rest of the house, Ethan was sure Erin would have given a squeal of delight. Instead, she grinned exuberantly at him, squirming in her seat in excitement as she landed a few punches on his arm.

"It doesn't mean anything," he said through a chuckle, batting her hands away.

"Of course it does!" Erin insisted. "Do you actually think Molly would put herself in a situation like that unless she knew what she was doing and was comfortable with it?"

She did have a point there. Molly had seemed a bit nervous, but then he had been too. He hadn't been planning on making much of a move, but the way she'd moved closer had encouraged him to do something before they lost their privacy. He was glad he'd taken the opportunity, especially based on how she'd reacted.

His mind jumped to the moment just before they'd been interrupted. What had he been about to say? Would he have said anything? Would he have kissed her instead?

"She didn't even deny that there was more than friendship between you when I found out you were writing each other."

Erin's words had Ethan looking at her in surprise. "Really?

Erin nodded. "She said you were just friends, and I asked if there were plans to change that. She said she didn't know where it was going to go, but didn't want to rush into anything."

Ethan couldn't help smiling at these words. "I guess I sort of knew she was open to the idea of seeing where things could go, but it's nice to hear it's actually what she thinks."

"And that was over a month ago," Erin pointed out. "I'm willing to bet she's even more open to the idea now. Especially if she let you hold her hand."

Ethan did blush this time, but he smiled through it. "And things like that mean something, yeah?"

"Things like what?" she asked.

Ethan shrugged. "Holding hands, cuddling by the fire, snogging. Those things aren't just for the fun of it? Because recent developments sort of made me think you held a different opinion."

The confused expression Erin wore fell away, and where Ethan expected to see annoyance, he was surprised to find none. Her face was a whole mess of emotions, it was hard to pinpoint which one she was feeling the most. In the brief time that he was able to take in her expression, he saw pain and shame and frustration, but there was also joy and happiness and delight. He could hardly believe she was feeling all of that at once, so it wasn't much of a surprise to him when her face crumpled a moment later and she burst into tears.

"Hey," he said soothingly, pulling her into his arms so she rested her head against his shoulder. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have pushed."

Erin continued to cry for a few minutes, and Ethan was stunned. He'd seen her cry before, but never like this. Not in years.

"Want me to hex him for you?"

Erin gave a watery chuckle at Ethan's offer, shaking her head where it still lay against his chest.

"No," she said through her sniffles, sitting up and wiping at her eyes. "It's just as much my fault that I'm such a mess as it is his. I'm just a bit overwhelmed. There's been a little too much emotion today for me to handle in a single twenty-four hour period."

She gave him a shaky grin, and Ethan rubbed her arm in sympathy while she took a few calming breaths.

"I know you think I'm just having a laugh," she began, her eyes directed towards the closed book in her lap as she spoke quietly, "and maybe that's what it looks like. But on the inside, I'm such a jumbled mess of emotions…"

She paused, looking at her hands in concentration for a moment before beginning again.

"The first time I kissed him, I was so angry at him. He was accusing me of not caring, and it was so opposite from the truth that I just sort of lost it. I slapped him then too. And now it's my fault that we're acting like it doesn't mean anything, because I told him it didn't, when that's never been the case."

She paused to catch her breath, a few more tears escaping her eyes. She hastily wiped them away, obviously frustrated with herself for continuing to cry.

"It all changed a bit along the way, I guess," she continued, "and I think there's a very real possibility that it means more to him than he's letting on, but I'm so terrified that he'll be angry with me if I up and tell him it actually means something to me, when I was the one who insisted it didn't in the first place."

Ethan just continued to rub her arm soothingly, thinking it best to just listen as she opened her mouth to continue with her outpouring of emotions.

"And then tonight, he was just so thoughtful. I mean, to go through all of that trouble for this," she said in a somewhat shaky voice, her hand running over the cover of the photo album, "when I never would have guessed how much something like this would mean to me. I ended up talking to him about Gran, and that wasn't something I'd really done before. I never expected him to be the one to really help me through all this, and Rose has been helpful too, but it's different. I'm not really sure I can explain it."

She fell silent, and Ethan let her words sink in. He'd always wondered if maybe something would happen between Al and Erin one of these days, but he'd never really thought about what all that would mean. It struck him that his little sister was seriously close to falling in love with her childhood friend. That is if she hadn't already.

"Anyway," she eventually said with a sigh, her eyes meeting his once again, "I wasn't really planning on telling you all of that, but I don't want you thinking I'm some type of slag or something. I really do care about him. A lot."

"I wasn't thinking that," Ethan assured her. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Yeah, well, time will tell, I suppose," she said a bit bleakly. "I can't help feeling I've set myself up for failure."

"Well, with how up and down your friendship has been, I don't see Al letting you get away too easily," Ethan observed with an encouraging smile. "I have a feeling you mean a lot to him."

He gestured to the book in Erin's lap, and her smile turned hopeful as she looked at her brother.

"Are you planning on asking her out?"

Ethan sighed. He'd been worried about this question, and the abrupt change in topic hadn't allowed him to really prepare his answer. He sat there silently for a moment, staring into the slowly dying fire, and when he looked back at his sister, she looked a bit concerned by his lack of response.

"It's complicated."

"How?" she asked in confusion.

"She still has another year of school after this one, Erin," Ethan pointed out dejectedly. "I wouldn't feel right about asking her to be anything more than friends right now. Not when we'd have to wait another year and a half to actually be together."

"But," Erin said, still a bit confused, "she has to know you're interested by now. Are you just going to let her think you're leading her on for, what, two years? Because that's how long it will be by the time she's done with school. Don't you think it would be better to not just leave things up in the air? And I know you could easily throw my own situation in my face right now, but you're not allowed to do that," she added. Ethan couldn't help chuckling as she scowled and pointed threateningly at him.

"Don't worry, I won't," he said with a roll of his eyes, grabbing her finger and flinging her hand away from his face. "And I don't know. I suppose you make a good point, but it doesn't change the fact that it's impossible to have what I want right now."

"Which is what?"

Ethan took a deep breath before letting out a frustrated sigh, his hand running through his short brown hair. "I want to be able to see her everyday, not just hear from her every other week. I want to be able to tell her exactly how I feel, and hopefully hear her tell me she feels the same. That part could still happen, I suppose, but then what? We'd say see you later and then go months without seeing each other? That just sounds too damn hard."

"Wow," said Erin after a moment of silence. "And I'd always thought you had to be brave to be an Auror."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked, surprised and a bit offended by her words.

"It means that you're going to risk not getting what you want because you're too scared to actually go for it," Erin said forcefully. "Yeah, it'll probably be hard, but trust me when I say that it'll be a lot harder being stuck in uncertainty than it will be if you actually know how much you care about each other. And remember that I'm speaking from experience here."

Ethan was very tempted to make a comment about how she could easily take her own advice, but he felt like she'd been through enough that night already. "Alright, fair enough," he said instead. "But I'm still not sure that saying anything right now would be the right thing to do."

Erin gave a resigned sigh. "Well, at least think about it, alright? If this is something you really want, you should go for it."

Ethan nodded, giving her a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

Erin looked at him sceptically for a moment before she seemed to realize there was nothing more to be said. With a sigh that turned into a yawn, she turned to face the fire and sat back against the couch, snuggling into her brother's side and resting her head on his shoulder as his arm came down around her.

Despite the amount of heaviness their conversation had contained, Ethan felt lighter. He was grateful to have time like this with his younger sister, and it drove home just how much he'd missed her over the last few months. He suspected the lighter feeling had something to do with knowing she was okay. Sure, life was messy, and she had things to figure out, but she was okay. They had their grief and their troubles, but they were okay. Everything was okay. And he had a feeling that things were only going to continue to get even better.

"Happy Christmas, Erin," he said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"You too," she said through a yawn, snuggling further into his side. Ethan smiled as her breathing evened out, signaling she'd fallen asleep. And he couldn't think of any place he'd rather be than sitting with his sister, waiting for the sun to come up on Christmas morning.

* * *

 **A/N: Right around the time I first wrote about Erin losing her great-gran, I lost someone very dear to me rather suddenly. While its not entirely what this chapter is about, this one goes out to everyone dealing with grief this holiday season.**

 **Here's to remembering the love and memories of those we miss.**


	19. Jealous - Jill

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith:_ Chapter 50 - _But time makes you bolder_**

* * *

 _\- Jill -_

Everything was such a mess. A colossal mess. A colossal mess the size of Europe.

And to top it all off, it was exam week! Couldn't everyone have been considerate enough to pick a more appropriate time to let everything completely fall apart? It was with a great sigh of relief that Jill made the final mark on her last exam, thankful that one of the stresses in her life was behind her. Now it was time to tackle another one.

She'd decided to put off making things right with Louis until after exams. If talking to him was only going to make things worse, she didn't see the point in doing it while they still had so much on their plates. Molly had tried to get her to talk to him sooner, but also saw the sense in waiting. Especially considering how poorly Louis had handled the stress of O.W.L. year.

Not that it had been easy to wait. It felt unnatural to be at odds with Louis. And it brought Jill even more anxiety when she considered how strained things had been before "the fiasco" had occurred. He'd been on edge and short tempered, with her and others. This made her even more nervous to approach him. What if he wasn't willing to talk things out? What if he just snapped at her and brushed her aside?

"You'll never know unless you try," Molly said when she voiced these concerns. So it was as they were leaving their final exam that she observed him packing up his things, not even looking around the room before he stood and walked out. Jill found herself hurrying after him, desperate to talk to him now that she was resolved to do so.

He was already at the other end of the corridor by the time she'd managed to make her way out of the classroom. She pushed her way through the crowd of students leaving their final exams, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear her calling his name over the excited chatter of their fellow students. By the time she reached the end of the corridor, she'd gained on him, his pace leisurely as he headed in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

"Louis!" she hollered, finally able to jog to catch up with him in the slightly less full corridor. His expression was curious as he looked over his shoulder, but it turned cold when he saw her hurrying towards him.

"What?" he asked harshly, turning and continuing on his way as Jill caught up with him.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, slightly out of breath as she slowed to a walk beside him.

"Feel free," he said with a disinterested shrug, "just don't expect to get much back in return."

"Lou, please," she practically begged, reaching out to wrap her hand around his wrist, hoping it would draw him out a little more. She got her wish when he almost faltered in his steps and his eyes snapped down to where her hand was resting on his arm. He looked up at her as he slowed down until they were stopped in the corridor, his eyes hesitantly looking into hers as they faced each other. He seemed uncertain and hopeful and a bit skeptical, but at least he was letting her in. Even if it was only a small amount so far.

"Want to go for a walk?" she asked, suddenly nervous at the prospect of having this conversation. "It's really nice out."

He hesitated a moment before nodding, her hand slipping away from his wrist as they made their way to the grounds.

They walked in silence across the grass, the clouds offering enough cover that Jill didn't have to squint against the sun. Now that she had his ear, she was drawing a blank. They didn't have a lot of conversations like this. Their friendship had mostly been born out of her being best friends with his cousin, who'd also grown up knowing his best friend. She hadn't realized until recently that his friendship actually meant a lot to her, and she also wanted it to be more than just hanging around each other when they were with their best friends. She didn't want to feel weird about spending time alone with him, talking through their issues and sorting things out. This would be the first step in what she hoped would be a new normal. If he managed to move past everything.

"How were your exams?" she eventually asked, mentally kicking herself for continuing to avoid the subject. Louis let out an amused snort at her question.

"Fine. Not as horrible as last year, but not easy by any means."

Jill nodded in agreement as they neared the edge of the lake, their pace slowing. The grounds were emptier than she'd thought they'd be, and the only people near them were a few third years tossing stones into the lake a good ways off, far enough that she couldn't even hear the sound of the rocks hitting the water.

"Do you remember our last day of exams last year?" Jill asked, the memory suddenly coming to her as they reached the same spot they'd all gathered at a year ago, the birch tree in full bloom.

"A lot's changed since then," said Louis. He kicked at a stone by the edge of the lake, watching it bounce closer to the water.

"I wish it hadn't," said Jill, thinking back fondly on a time when things weren't nearly as complicated as they were now. "I'm sorry for any part I played in making things as terrible as they are."

Louis let out a sigh, dropping his bag on the ground before sitting in the grass. Jill was quick to do the same, plopping down roughly a foot away and trying her best not to look too eager. She was just thankful he was speaking to her. Even if she wasn't entirely sure why he was upset with her in the first place.

"I suppose I was a bit unfair," he allowed. He was sitting with his knees up and his arms folded across them. His chin was resting on his forearm as his gaze focused on the slightly rippling water. "I know I accused you of being a bad friend, and I think that was mostly because I wasn't handling all the other shit that's been going on very well."

"Really?" asked Jill, unable to hide the relief in her voice. He turned his head to look at her, a sad smile on his face.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I know I wasn't fair to Caleb either. I just…"

His eyes searched her face for a moment as he tried to find the words to describe everything going on in his mind. Something flashed across his face that surprised Jill, and his cheeks turned a bit pink as he faced the water again.

"Are you jealous?" she asked in disbelief.

"No," he grumbled, reaching down to pick up a stone and fling it in the water before letting out a huff and folding his arms across his knees again.

"Yes, you are," said Jill. "I just don't know why."

Louis acted for a moment like he hadn't heard her, but then he let out a sigh.

"It's more complicated than that," he said, his words coming out a bit mumbled with his chin resting on his arm. "We've just always done stuff together, you know? Learned to fly when we were kids, came to Hogwarts together, joined the Quidditch team the same year. And now, not only does he have a girlfriend while I don't, but he did it behind my back."

His gaze was harsh as he ground out those last words. Jill waited patiently for him to continue, sensing that he wouldn't be able to keep much in now that he was letting it out.

"I know I said I was okay with him dating Lily, and in theory, I am. But you shouldn't just brush aside everyone else in your life because you have a girlfriend. And he should have just come to me months ago. He could have talked to me about it before they were even together, and I would have understood. I maybe would have even helped him. But he didn't trust me enough to say anything to me, and now it's all such a fucking mess because I've decided my feelings are hurt. And it's not just him. It's her too. She's acting like the only thing that matters is their relationship. It can't be that way. You need your friends. What happens if they break up and she's got no one to turn to? I don't want that happening to her."

He fell silent, having landed on feeling frustrated after jumping from anger to self pity first. Jill watched as he tossed another rock into the lake, this time with a bit more force.

"You sticking up for him that night just about did me in," he admitted, his voice a bit softer than it had been before. "Even if he screwed up, I wasn't being fair. It wasn't his fault we lost. Not entirely. It was just the way he immediately comforted Lily after the match, and neither of them even gave me a second look, and I suddenly felt like the most invisible person in the world. And then you picking his side…"

He fell silent, his shame for feeling that way obvious, even though she could tell the sting of everything was still present.

"You could have talked to me," said Jill. "I would have understood, and I could have been a friend to you."

"Maybe," he said with a shrug, "but you were already part of the problem before that."

Jill felt this blow harder than she'd expected.

"What?" she asked in a strained voice. "How?"

To her surprise, Louis blushed. He glanced nervously at her for a moment before facing ahead again.

"Easter break."

Frustrated and exasperated that this was being brought up again, Jill let out a huff, crossing her arms and looking out across the lake herself.

Easter break had started off lovely. She was staying with Molly and her family for the week in the beach house that was owned by her uncle. Louis was visiting his aunt, who was only a town away, so the three of them and Lucy were able to spend a lot of time together. It was halfway through the trip that the trouble started.

There was another family staying in the house next to theirs. They had a son who was the same age as Jill, Molly, and Louis, and a daughter who was a year older. They were French, but spoke decent English, and it wasn't long before they were all spending most of their time together. This didn't seem like a problem until Philip, the brother, asked Jill out on a date a few days before they were due to head home. She'd been flattered, told him she'd think about it, and then said yes after talking it over with Molly. They were on holiday and he seemed nice. There was nothing wrong with having a little harmless fun.

Louis, however, did not share this opinion. He hadn't made it a secret that he wasn't Philip's biggest fan, and his mood had immediately turned sour when he heard this news. He immediately insisted that she cancel, claiming he wasn't to be trusted. When this argument failed, he'd decided that they at least shouldn't go alone, so he asked Margueritte, Philip's sister, if she wanted to go with him that night and double date. Her response was to laugh and turn him down, marking the first time Jill could remember a girl ever turning her nose up at Louis Weasley.

Not that he ever really dated, but it was common knowledge that he had his pick of girls at Hogwarts should he ever decide to enter the dating world. He just claimed it wasn't worth going through a string of girls who only cared about him for his looks. Especially when he'd yet to find one that seemed worth the effort.

Which was why it had annoyed Jill that he'd simply thrown all that away to ask out the beautiful Margueritte, who, if she was so repulsed by Louis, had horrible taste to begin with and didn't warrant a second thought.

But now, Jill was forced to look at it all in a different light. Louis had said that he was feeling alone, invisible. And her sticking up for Caleb instead of him had been the icing on the cake. But she'd already made him feel left out. And it had happened over Easter Break.

"You had every right to go out with him," said Louis after letting her stew in silence for a few moments. "I'm sorry I acted like a prat."

Jill let out a sigh. "I'm sorry that this whole thing with Caleb and Lily is hard for you, and I know they haven't handled it perfectly, but you can't just mope and feel sorry for yourself every time one of your friends goes on a date or gets a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"I know," said Louis, his tone resigned. "I've actually been doing a lot of thinking about why it's been bothering me so much."

The nervous edge to his voice had Jill glancing over at him. He was still sitting the same as he was before, but now his eyes were on her, his bottom lip between his teeth as he watched her uncertainly.

"And?" she asked, the word coming out a bit harsher than she'd planned. Louis took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as if to calm himself.

"At first, I thought it was just bad timing," he explained, his eyes still locked on her. "After everything that happened over Easter, one of the first things Caleb tells me on the train is that he's been secretly dating my cousin for months. I'd barely had time to recover from the blow to my ego that came when you decided you'd rather spend time with a bloke you barely knew over me. I felt like everything was changing way too fast, and there was nothing I could do about it."

The honesty in his eyes and his words were making Jill's heart pound.

"And, to be honest," he continued, his face turning a bit red as he returned his gaze to the lake, "I don't think my biggest problem over Easter was one of my friends going out on a date."

He fell silent, leaving Jill watching him in confusion.

"What was it, then?" asked Jill. Louis gave a shrug, unable to meet her eyes. He seemed nervous and embarrassed, almost like he was tempted to get up and run and hide from everything at a moment's notice. But he stayed put, his gaze straight ahead.

"Lou, come on," she implored, turning to face him more fully and resting a hand on his arm. He flinched a bit at her touch, but Jill was determined, leaving her hand where it lay. "I know we're not as close with each other as I am with Molly or you are with...well...anyway, I want to change that. This whole thing has made me realize how much your friendship means to me. I want to make this right, and I want you to be able to count on me, okay?"

His eyes turned to hers, a softness in them that Jill couldn't remember having seen before. A moment later, he was hesitantly resting his hand on top of hers.

"I want that too."

Jill smiled at his sincere words. "Then tell me what had you so worked up over Easter," she pushed, though there was some playfulness to her voice. Louis, however, grew nervous again.

"Honestly?" he said with a sigh. "I think it was the fact that _you_ were the one going on the date."

His cheeks were pink as he directed his gaze back towards the lake, his hand that was still resting on hers shaking slightly. Jill's eyes had widened in shock. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Had he been jealous?

"Everything alright, Lou?"

Louis jumped at the sound of his cousin's voice, immediately pulling his hand away from Jill and looking towards the castle. Jill reluctantly removed her hand from Louis' arm, leaning to the side so she could look around him and see Molly. Her best friend had a concerned look on her face, but it turned to shock and she stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Jill, obviously having missed her before.

"Oh, sorry," she said apologetically. "I can-"

"No, you're fine," said Louis hurriedly, and much to Jill's disappointment. He stood and brushed off his pants, and before Jill could fully think through what she was doing, she reached up and grabbed his hand. Louis looked down at her with a startled look on his face. Jill gripped his hand tighter before uncrossing her legs and moving to stand. Thankfully, Louis got the idea and assisted in pulling her to her feet.

"Thanks," she said with a soft smile, trying to catch his eye. He merely nodded while looking everywhere but in her eyes as he made to pull his hand away. But Jill gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, causing him to look up at her in slight surprise. Jill did her best to give him an encouraging smile, not fully knowing what had just happened, but very much aware that it mattered. And that the last thing she wanted was for Louis to pull away from her again.

Molly had reached them by now, and Jill reluctantly dropped his hand.

"Everything okay?" asked Molly, looking between them hopefully. Jill watched Louis, letting him respond to his cousin. She felt relief flow through her as he nodded.

"Yeah, we're good," he said with a sigh and a small smile. He then went on to relay to his cousin some of the things he'd told Jill. How he'd been feeling a bit left out and left behind and hadn't handled it all that well, without going into as much detail as he had with Jill. Molly looked at him sympathetically before pulling him into a tight hug and saying she understood and all was forgiven. Not that he had much of a reason to apologize to her, other than for behaving like a prat in general. He seemed pleased to have his cousin's support either way.

As they made their way back up to the castle, Jill's mind ran wild. She tuned out the conversation Louis and Molly were having, thinking about the last thing he'd said to her before they were interrupted and what it could mean. He hadn't spelled things out explicitly, but she wasn't an idiot. She could draw a conclusion. And it was hard for her not to tack on a few more words to the end of his sentence.

" _I think it was the fact that_ you _were the one going on the date...with someone else."_

A shiver ran through her at the thought. She couldn't deny that part of her had always had a bit of a crush on Louis. What girl in her right mind wouldn't? He was kind and intelligent and a good friend, despite what recent events might lead people to believe. There was always his exceptionally good looks as well, but Jill knew that it was who he was as a person that drew her to him more than a beautiful set of blue eyes and a handsome face ever could.

It wasn't a place she'd ever let herself really go. In fact, she now realized it was something she'd been dampening almost subconsciously for a while now. And now that he'd cracked open that door, she saw she was very much in danger of barreling right through it.

* * *

 **A/N: I thoroughly enjoyed finally exploring this pairing. Pumped to write more about them in the future :)**


	20. Ask - Molly

**A/N: This takes place during _Show a Little Faith:_ Chapter 33 - _Something in the way she moves_**

* * *

 _\- Molly -_

Molly couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more nervous. Teddy and Victoire's reception had just started, the ceremony had been beautiful, and there was now nothing to distract Molly from the fact that Ethan Longbottom was sitting just one table away.

Since the night of the snowball fight, Molly's thoughts had consistently drifted to the young Auror. If she closed her eyes, she could still see his blue eyes staring intently into her own; feel the cold of the snow against her back and under her legs that competed with the warmth radiating from the charm on her gloves and the proximity of Ethan; the touch of his hand that held hers firmly yet cautiously; the way she'd shivered, though not because of the cold.

Everything seemed to be happening so fast. It was only a few weeks ago that she was happy and content to continue their relationship as it was. They were friends who wrote each other letters and cared for each other perhaps a bit more than normal friends usually do, but that was all there was to it. She hadn't felt the need to turn it into anything more just yet. But now she couldn't shake the feeling of wanting more. Even though she knew it couldn't really happen. Not yet.

He'd glanced her way a few times throughout the course of the day. Once as they'd stood when Victoire walked down the aisle and he saw her standing almost directly across from him, and then as she took a seat at the table next to his. Both times he'd offered her a small smile, but not much else. She knew the smile she returned was a bit strained. She blamed it on her nerves and insecurities. Was he second guessing himself? Was he second guessing her? Is that why he hadn't made an effort to talk to her?

"You don't look nearly happy enough for someone at a wedding," she heard her mother say from across the table. Molly looked up in surprise. She'd been staring down at the food in front of her, having not touched it as her mind ran wild with unanswered questions and uncertain emotions. She relaxed her features, knowing there was most likely a crease on her brow. Everyone always said she got the same look when she was concentrating or deep in thought that her father did - a furrowed brow and a slight frown.

"Just a lot on my mind, I suppose," she said dismissively, picking up her fork and prodding at her potatoes.

"Care to share?" her mother prodded. Molly glanced around the round table. Lucy was to her right, followed by her father and then her mother. Her Uncle George and Aunt Angelina were next, though both of them were paying attention to Roxanne and Lorcan, who came next in their circle and were sitting just to Molly's left.

"No, it's nothing," said Molly, having no desire to share her jumble of thoughts with anyone at the moment. "I don't think I could even articulate it if I wanted to."

Her father gave a nod of understanding, though her mother didn't seem entirely convinced. Lucy was watching her curiously, and Molly could only assume she had some idea about where her mind was. She told Lucy everything, and had immediately divulged what had happened the night of the snowball fight the moment she could. Lucy seemed to think that Ethan's actions made it obvious that he liked her, and while Molly felt like she had to agree, his distance throughout the day had caused her to doubt.

"Well, if you _do_ need to talk…" Her mother looked at her encouragingly, and Molly smiled. She'd always been an understanding woman, and she'd never pushed when she didn't need to. With her husband, there were definitely times she needed to, but she was very adept at knowing when to butt in and when to stay out. Especially when it came to Weasleys.

As the meal began to wind down, Teddy and Victoire took to the dance floor, closely followed by Harry and Ginny and Bill and Fleur. Molly watched wistfully as the song changed and other couples joined in, including her parents. She'd always loved dancing. Something she'd inherited from her mother. Audrey had taken dancing lessons before going to Hogwarts, and picked it up again each time she was home for the summer. Molly had done the same until she was thirteen, wanting to focus more on her studies by then. Part of her regretted that now.

Her eyes drifted over to Ethan of their own accord, and she saw him watching the crowd of dancers. A moment later, his gaze started to drift around the room, and she only had a moment to prepare before his eyes landed on her. He seemed a bit startled at first to find her watching him, but an easy smile appeared on his face soon enough. Molly smiled back, but was disappointed a moment later when his smile suddenly fell and he tore his gaze away.

She watched him a few seconds longer, feeling the cold sting of rejection at the small interaction as he continued to just sit there. With a deep breath to steady herself, she told Lucy she was going to go use the bathroom, and stood from her seat to enter the house.

It was a short walk that felt like it took forever. She could feel eyes on her as she wove her way through the tables, and she knew they were Ethan's. The thought caused frustration to course through her. After the encouraging way she'd looked at him and his obvious lack of desire to ask her to dance let alone approach her, she definitely didn't want him to see the hurt that was most likely very evident on her face.

As she made it to the house, the door swung shut behind her with a satisfying slam, and she quickly made her way up to the bathroom on the second floor.

A few weeks ago, Molly never would have guessed her feelings would be this strong. It had been her habit not to get her hopes up about anything. She wasn't sure why, but there was a part of her that always wanted to protect itself from any unnecessary hurt. But then Ethan had gone and given her a reason to hope, and she'd begun to let her guard down.

As she stood in front of the sink, her hands braced against it as she looked in the mirror, she felt foolish. She knew she was overreacting. He hadn't outright rejected her. He hadn't even made her any type of promise. She had no reason to feel this hurt because she'd been in his presence for three hours and he had yet to do much more than look at her.

With a few deep breaths, Molly pulled herself together. She could do this. She could walk back out there and be perfectly fine. Maybe she'd dance with Caleb. Or Lysander. Or one of her cousins. There were plenty of options besides Ethan Longbottom. She could still enjoy the wedding the way you were supposed to enjoy such things.

She opened the door to return downstairs, jumping a bit in surprise when Erin rushed past her at that very moment. Molly watched her disappear up the stairs, having failed to notice the girl in the bathroom. Deciding whatever was going on was none of her business, Molly made her way downstairs and back out to the reception, passing a very stoic looking Rose and Scorpius and a pacing Albus, who glanced at her but looked away almost immediately when she didn't turn out to be Erin. The other two didn't pay her any mind, and she made to quickly slip back outside, planning on making her way back to her table to grab her drink before looking around for her friends.

But she never got that far. Ethan was standing at the edge of the marquis, his hands shoved in his trouser pockets with his head turned down as he softly kicked at the grass.

Molly stood completely still, pausing in the doorway and watching him uncertainly. She thought for a moment that he might be waiting for her, but she dismissed the idea. There was obviously something going on that involved his sister, if the way she'd run up the stairs and the somber attitudes of her best friends was anything to go off of. With a resigned sigh, she stepped fully outside, letting the door swing shut behind her. Ethan looked up at the sound, the tension he was carrying leaving him slightly as he gave her a friendly smile.

"Erin went upstairs," said Molly as she continued walking back towards the reception, "if that's who you were waiting for."

She made to walk past him, but was forced to stop suddenly when he stepped in front of her.

"No," he said hurriedly. "I wasn't waiting for Erin. Or Alice. They're both in there, actually. I was...er...waiting for you."

Even though he sounded a bit uncertain, Molly felt that familiar hope returning against her will. "Why?"

His gaze was intense as he paused a few moments, deciding what to say.

"Would you like to dance?"

His question was spoken nervously but with confidence. Like he was afraid she'd say no, but knew exactly what he was doing.

"Alright," she said with a small nod, unable to keep the smile off her face as he sighed in relief. A chill shot through her as he grabbed her hand, and Molly followed numbly behind him as he led her to the dance floor.

They reached the crowd of dancers just as a new song began, and Ethan paused uncertainly before taking a step closer to her. "I haven't done this much," he admitted in a quiet voice. Molly couldn't help smiling at him a little more brightly.

"Luckily, I've done this a lot," she said, hoping her tone came across as understanding and warm rather than boastful. His nerves seemed to dissipate and he smiled at her, leading Molly to believe she'd succeeded. Stepping forward, he placed a hand on her waist while continuing to hold her hand in his. Her mind flashed to only a week ago when he'd compared the sizes of their hands while he held hers in his own, and it felt even more wonderful than it did then, now that the gloves weren't in the way. There was a roughness to his hands, yet they were holding her so gently, and as they slowly began to move around the dance floor, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Despite the fact that it was obvious he was inexperienced.

"Sorry," he mumbled, a slightly embarrassed look on his face as he stepped on the bottom of her dress. Molly smiled encouragingly, but his eyes were focused on their feet.

"You're fine," Molly assured him. "This is nice."

He glanced up at her, a smile flickering across his face before he focused once again on their feet. Molly was having a hard time not melting at how adorable he was being. It was obvious he wanted to do this right, and he wasn't doing half bad, but she wished he was able to do well without having to watch what he was doing.

"Who were you sitting with?" Molly asked, looking over his shoulder and noticing the table he'd been at earlier. There were a few slightly familiar faces, but she couldn't place them.

"Most of them are Aurors or trainees," he explained, managing another glance up at her before directing his gaze to their feet again.

"Is your roommate here?" she asked, curious to catch a glimpse of the wizard that Ethan had described as so different from him.

"No," he said with an amused chuckle. "Logan had plans with some girl and decided not to come when Teddy wouldn't give him a plus one."

Molly laughed, seeing that Ethan found the situation amusing. "Probably a good call on Teddy's part."

Ethan nodded, shooting her a quick smile before looking down again. They dance in silence for the rest of the song, their movements becoming a bit more fluid, but Molly growing more frustrated. When the song ended and Ethan suggested they grab drinks, she sighed in relief, trying not to feel disappointed when he dropped her hand as they walked across the dance floor.

"What's going on with your sisters?" she asked as he handed her a glass of champagne.

"Long story," he said with a sigh, his gaze going towards the house at the mention of the topic. "Alice just had a bit of a run in with someone from her past, and it wasn't pretty."

"What happened?" asked Molly in alarm.

"I'm not entirely sure," Ethan admitted. "I only saw things from a distance, and it looked like Malcolm and Teddy had things under control."

Unable to think of anything else to say, Molly nodded. They sipped their champagne, watching their friends and family members on the dance floor.

"Do you want to…?" Ethan asked uncertainly after he'd finished his drink, jerking his head to indicate the dance floor. As much as she wanted to continue to have an excuse to hold his hand, Molly shook her head.

"No. As much as I enjoyed that, I'd rather be able to actually talk to you," she said, a lightness to her tone that conveyed she really hadn't minded his slightly clumsy dancing. His cheeks turned a bit pink, but he still smiled at her. Molly felt a fluttering in her stomach as he finally looked at her fully, his eyes seeming to memorize her features.

"Probably a good call," said Ethan. "There's actually something specific I wanted to talk about."

He'd said it confidently, but she could tell he was a bit anxious. Still, he wanted to talk to her, and even if she was apprehensive about what it might be about, the thought warmed her.

"Yes?" she asked when he didn't elaborate. He paused for a moment before letting out a sigh and setting his empty glass on the drink table, taking her nearly finished one out of her hand and placing it next to his. Molly's eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed her hand once again and pulled her out of the marquis and towards the house, but rather than going through the back door, he led her around the side of the house. Molly hurried to keep up with the fast pace he'd set, hoping no one took note of them slipping away.

He only stopped once they were out of sight of the wedding guests, his steps slowing gradually as he slipped his fingers between hers and held her hand tightly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, growing nervous for the first time when he wouldn't look at her. They came to a stop under the kitchen window, and Molly realized that the warming charms that had been put in place weren't as strong over here. She let out an involuntary shiver, which Ethan noticed as their hands were still clasped together. Molly felt disappointment for only a moment when he dropped her hand, her face flushing lightly with pleasure as he made to remove his jacket.

"Thanks," she said softly when he draped it around her shoulders. He gave her a small smile, obviously pleased to be able to do something so chivalrous.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" he asked. Molly nodded.

"It was lovely. We just did breakfast and gifts at home before meeting everyone here for lunch. We exchange all the other gifts then too."

He nodded, continuing to smile at her. "Sounds nice. Ours was pretty much the same, though without the mass of Weasleys."

She laughed lightly. "It's a bit much at times, but it's family. Not going to complain about having too much of that."

He continued to smile at her, his eyes drinking her in once again. It simultaneously made Molly feel self conscious and confident, which was a difficult combination to try and sort through. Even though his jacket had managed to warm her, she was shaking slightly.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked. "How my Christmas was?"

"No," said Ethan, shaking his head as his smile dropped. "I've been trying to figure out if I should even say anything at all. I'd almost decided not to, but…"

His eyes roamed over her as his words trailed off, and Molly felt heat rising to her cheeks. He wasn't leering at her. To Molly, it felt like he was appreciating her for the entirety of who she was, and not just for the floor length green dress that flattered her figure. Her heart started beating faster at the realization that he almost seemed to be seeing her completely.

"I really like you, Molly," he said with conviction, his blue eyes boring into hers. "I knew I fancied you at least a little bit after last summer, but I didn't expect…"

He took a deep breath, shaking his head and looking down as he collected himself. Molly's heart - which had leapt at his admission of feelings - quickly sunk when his eyes met hers again. They were filled with pain and regret.

"It wouldn't be fair of me to ask anything of you," he said apologetically. "Not with things being the way they are."

"And what way is that, exactly?" she asked without hesitation. Ethan seemed momentarily taken aback before he responded.

"You still have another year of school after this one," he explained. "And I barely have any free time. We'd never see each other. Asking you to commit to something and getting practically nothing in return wouldn't be right."

He fell silent, and Molly let his words sink in. As soon as she was able to fully comprehend what he was saying, her response came easily. "What if I wanted you to ask me anyway?"

Ethan had ducked his head after his last words, but it snapped up at her question. "What?" he asked with wide eyes. Molly took a deep breath, letting it out shakily.

"I like you too, Ethan," she said softly, struggling to meet his eyes as her nerves got the better of her. She managed to lift her gaze to him again when she heard him let out a breathy laugh of disbelief, and his smile stunned her.

"You do?" he asked, sounding slightly awestruck. Molly's cheeks flushed with pleasure as she nodded.

"And I don't see that changing anytime soon," she assured him. "So why not ask me?"

His smile faded, that same anguish she'd seen earlier returning. "Because...well...I don't think you realize how difficult it would be," he said uncertainly. "We'd have to wait a long time before we could properly be together."

"So you're saying it would be easier if we just end whatever this is now before someone gets hurt?" she asked.

"Basically," he said with a shrug. "We could still write to each other, if you're alright with that."

Molly sighed, pulling his jacket more snuggly around her as she tried not to grow frustrated. "Do you realize that keeping things the way they are now isn't going to make it any easier? Not putting a label on it won't change how I feel. I'll still miss you, and I'll still worry about you, and I'll still want to be with you."

"Yeah, but you'll have an easier out," he said dejectedly. "You'd be able to still see other people while you're still in school."

Molly's eyes widened in shock. Was he really concerned about that?

"Does that mean _you're_ going to be seeing other people while I'm at school?" she asked, her voice weak as she tried not to let how much that would hurt her show.

"No," he said honestly. "I fully plan on waiting for you, but I'd never ask you to do the same for me."

"Why?" she asked, annoyed despite how much his words caused her to fall for him even more. "The way I see it, relationships are about equal partnership, right? So if you're making some type of sacrifice, shouldn't I be willing to do the same?"

"It's not a sacrifice," said Ethan. "It's not even really a choice. I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"Well I can't either!" she snapped, surprising herself with how strongly she meant those words. He was looking at her with wide eyes, and she had a feeling her expression wasn't much different. She let out a sigh, collecting herself and taking a step closer to him, standing near enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "Please don't push me away just because you think it's the noble thing to do."

His expression softened and Molly gave him an encouraging smile. He took a step closer, reaching out and holding both of her hands in his. She couldn't help but look down, the sight and feel of his touch providing a comfort and a thrill that would take a long time to get used to.

"I just don't want to jump in too much too soon," he said softly. "I'd hate for you to have regrets."

Molly tightened her grip slightly, her blue eyes going up to meet his. "I don't have any so far," she said with a small smile. "And I don't want you to have any either."

He gave a humorless chuckle. "I'm trying to decide what I'll regret more; doing something or doing nothing."

Molly gave a nervous gulp as he looked at her intently. "I usually find that regret comes more from our missed opportunities than our actions."

"Yeah," he said a bit wistfully. "You're probably right."

Whatever action he'd been considering taking, Molly was unable to discover. The sound of someone calling her name pulled them both out of the moment. Lucy came around the corner a second later.

"Sorry," she said, truly looking like she was. Molly was willing to guess she'd seen them in time to notice Ethan drop her hands. "They're about to cut the cake."

"We'll be there in a bit," said Ethan, surprising Molly. He turned back to her as soon as her sister had walked away. "You don't mind, do you?"

Molly shook her head and he let out a sigh of relief. He gathered himself, and she knew that what he was about to say next was going to matter more than anything else they'd said so far.

"Even though it wasn't much, the time I've been able to spend with you the past few weeks has been amazing," said Ethan. "Being close to you…I hadn't realized how much I craved that until I had it. And I realize it'll be even harder to go without, since I now know what it's like. But I'm alright with that, because I think you're more than worth the wait."

Molly's eyes had welled up with tears. Not from sadness or joy, but just the overwhelming amount of emotions that were running through her at his words. He was watching her a bit nervously, but there was a peace about him. He'd said exactly how he felt and it was a relief for him to be able to do so. Gathering her courage, Molly finally managed a smile and at least partially controlled her emotions.

"I feel the exact same way," she said in a slightly shaky voice. His eyes lit up with joy, both of them simply taking each other in and savoring the moment. Then he was reaching out and holding her hands again. He pulled her closer and, for a moment, Molly thought he might kiss her. But he merely pulled her into him, dropping her hands so he could slip his arms under his jacket that was still on her shoulders and wind them around her waist in a gentle yet firm embrace.

Molly sighed in contentment as her arms wound around his neck, stretching up onto her toes so she could hold him tightly and bury her face between his shoulder and his neck. Her eyes fluttered shut and she breathed him in, feeling him doing the same as they stood there, simply holding each other. One of his hands was rubbing gentle circles into the small of her back, and his jacket was in danger of falling off her, but she didn't care. There wasn't a single part of her that wanted this moment to end.

When it did, she kept her eyes closed a moment longer, and her breath caught in her throat as she felt him drop a light kiss on her temple. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, the same peace she felt reflected on his face.

He took her hand as they slowly made their way back to the reception, neither of them saying another word or feeling the need to. They would wait, both of them realizing it would be difficult and maybe even painful at times, but also fully knowing that there was a very good chance it would be worth it.

* * *

 **A/N: These two practically write themselves. Hope you enjoyed! Would you like to see their letters for the next term? I know I would :)**


	21. Letters Again - Molly & Ethan

**A/N: This takes place from chapters 32-51 of Show a Little Faith. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _\- Molly & Ethan -_

 _January 8th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _The grounds are now absolutely covered in snow. We already had a bit before we came home for Christmas, but we seemed to have missed a snowstorm or two in our absence. It's absolutely beautiful, and I can't help but be reminded of Christmas Eve whenever I see students running around and playing in the snow once they're done with classes._

 _Speaking of classes, remember that Potions lesson where Professor Scott makes us come up with an antidote based off a poison? We just had that lesson today and I think I can safely say that my future doesn't lie in Potions. Not that I did horribly, but it's definitely not my strong suit. I'm still not sure what is._

 _Speaking of which, I haven't gotten to tell you about the day I spent at the Ministry with my parents! I went in with them a few days before having to come back to school. While I still don't know what I'd like to do, I definitely have a few ideas about what I definitely don't want to do. I toured both of my parents' departments, and while I haven't written off magical law, I really don't think I could work in trade like my mum. There are surprisingly more politics involved there than in the law department. While Mum is great at it, that's just not my cup of tea._

 _I guess that's a start. And I actually did like the sound of some of the possibilities involved with magical law. Particularly the opportunity to help people. It sort of hit me while we were there that whatever I end up doing, I want to be helping people. So that's something._

 _You probably weren't expecting to hear from me right away. We didn't exactly say how this was going to go. I tend to not put myself out there, but I wanted to write you, so I did. I've only been back at school for a few days and I already miss you._

 _Good luck with training this week. Hope to hear from you soon._

 _Molly_

* * *

 _January 10th, 2024_

 _Dear Molly,_

 _Getting your letter my first day back after Christmas was just what I needed._

 _Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I'm excited to be fully back into gear with training, but I already miss you too. To be honest, after the way we left things, I wasn't sure if I'd hear from you first. I know we didn't leave things poorly, but we brought a lot out in the open and it did make me a little nervous that things would be different. So it set me at ease to not only see that you'd written, but to read your letter as well._

 _Living in the city has deprived me of the beautiful winters we'd get at Hogwarts. I'm a bit jealous, actually. My last year, Eva and Dom and I built this massive fort one weekend, and I had to practically drag them inside when it got dark out and they were getting ideas about sleeping out there. Dom claimed that if Eskimo's could do it, so could she._

 _By the way, did you know she's sort of seeing Lysander? She says they're not together, but a bunch of us were having dinner at the Leaky Cauldron last night and they got caught snogging in the kitchen. James, Violet, Lorcan, and Roxanne didn't seem too surprised, so I gathered it wasn't the first time._

 _Anyway, I've been fully back to training for three days now, and it looks like we have some exciting things coming up. I'll fill you in more in my next letter._

 _Speaking of, I know our letters won't be as frequent as these first two, but I just couldn't not write back right away. I miss you._

 _Hope classes are going well. If you have any Potions related questions, let me know. We're studying poisons and antidotes now!_

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _January 19th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _I'll be sure to send any questions I have about Potions directly to you. Erin actually helped me out when I was working on my essay about antidotes the other night. She really has a knack for them._

 _She seems to be doing really well, by the way. Both of your sisters are. Alice was up for dinner the first Friday we were back, and she came back again on Wednesday like she normally does, but spent most of the time sitting with the new Muggle Studies professor. I think I remember them dancing together at the wedding too. Not to be gossipy, but they seem to be getting along rather well._

 _So, I know it never fit with your schedule last term, but what do your weekends look like this one? Any chance you'll make it up here during a Hogsmeade weekend? I know we have one in the middle of February, and then again in April and June. I know your sisters would love to see you. I wouldn't mind seeing you either._

 _Jill's got it in her head that she wants to go into politics, so hope that I remain sane as she runs her platform by me every time she makes a change to it. She was all about starting her own line of beauty products before Christmas, so no telling how long this career goal will last. Louis still wants to be a Healer, so at least someone's consistent, and Caleb's been acting odd. No other way to explain it, really. I can't really even put my finger on what's different._

 _That's about all. How's training? I enjoyed meeting Isaac and Zoey and Mason at the wedding. Still disappointed I wasn't able to meet your roommate. Logan, right? You mentioned learning more about poisons and antidotes. Is there anything else new that you're doing?_

 _Lucy says hello._

 _Miss you,_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _February 1st, 2024_

 _Dear Molly,_

 _Yes! Way to go Alice! I actually got a letter from her this past week, and while she didn't get into the particulars, she's definitely happy. Teddy seems to have been clued into things as well, most likely through Victoire, and he only has good things to say about Bray. I hope it works out for them. He seems to be a really good bloke. I met him at the wedding, and I'm hoping to make it into Hogsmeade soon, so maybe I'll get to see more of him._

 _Speaking of which, I'm free the last weekend of this month, so that won't work. My weekend off in April is the first one, and I don't know about June yet. I don't have my schedule that far out. So far it's not looking good for our weekends to match up once again, unless you happen to go to Hogsmeade the first weekend in April._

 _I'm sorry I didn't write you back sooner. To start with, it almost feels like they're piling the work on. Have I talked at all about my instructors? Other Aurors sometimes guest lecture or come in to help with practicals, but two Aurors are full time trainers. Those two are honestly some of the most intimidating people I've ever met. It's sort of hard to put them into words, but I'll try._

 _First, there's Michelle Ferguson, whose peers and superiors call Fergie, but we've been told to call Auror Ferguson. To her face, at least. She teaches first aid, curse detection, and stealth and tracking. And she's brilliant at all of them. Apparently, she's got a really crazy backstory, but with all the rumors flying around, I'm not sure what to believe. I might have to ask your uncle about her sometime. She's younger than my parents but old enough that we never went to school together, and while she may be intimidating, I get the feeling that she's got our backs no matter what._

 _Then there's Sharkey. That's his last name. I've never been told his first, and no one calls him by it. I don't think he's much younger than Fergie, and he teaches all our other courses, which are hand-to-hand, defensive dueling, and protocols and regulations. He's rather mysterious, especially because he still seems fit for the field and would be really valuable doing actual Auror work, yet he'd rather train new recruits. I'm willing to bet he's got an interesting story too._

 _As far as physical training goes, we got paired into groups based on weight class at the beginning of training, and then put with a trainer. I'm in the same class as Isaac and Wilder, and we lucked out on having Teddy as our trainer._

 _I think I mentioned Wilder before but called him by his first name. He's the other Harry, and I quickly learned that just about no one calls him that. I feel sort of bad for the bloke. Most people assume he was named for your uncle, but he's Muggle-born._

 _That was a lot of information and I don't expect you to remember all of it, but I also can't help wanting to tell you everything about my life and what I'm doing. I wish you were a part of it. You are, in a way, but not the everyday stuff. I'm looking forward to a day when that's no longer true. I hope that day comes._

 _That's another reason it took me so long to write this letter. It's been a month since I've seen you, and every time I sat down to write to you, everything I'm feeling wanted to come pouring out, but I know a lot of what I would say shouldn't be said yet. I really truly hope that one day I can be that open and honest with you, but until then, I'll continue to distract both of us from everything neither of us are saying by talking about much more dull things, like the people I work with._

 _Hope everything's good with you and your friends. Tell Jill that if she can get Fortescue's to carry their mango pineapple flavor for more than just the summer, she's got my vote._

 _Missing you every day,_

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _February 14th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _Wednesdays are challenging. They're equally as far away from the weekend in both directions. Louis has always hated Wednesdays because of this very reason, so maybe he's starting to rub off on me._

 _Actually, he's been around a bit more lately. Not like we didn't spend a lot of time together before, but I almost feel like he's with me and Jill more than Caleb lately. Usually when we're together, it's all four of us, so it's been a bit odd. I'd blame Quidditch, but that doesn't make sense since Lou is on the team too. It's a mystery that I have yet to solve, but hopefully whatever is going on with Caleb is a good thing. Maybe he's tutoring someone and that person doesn't want us to know. Or he's doing extra Quidditch training, but I don't see why Louis wouldn't know about that, and he seems clueless too._

 _Anyway, back to Wednesdays. I've never been the type of person to gripe about how all I want is to not have any work to do or to just wait each day for the time when I'm free to do nothing, but I do enjoy the occasional break, and Wednesdays just remind me how long it's been since I've had one and how far away another one is. Goodness, I sound like Lou._

 _Wednesdays also come with double Herbology, which means I normally come back for lunch rather dirty, which isn't exactly my cup of tea. Especially combined with a trudge through the snow. I'm just glad that Ruby's really good at cleaning charms. Did you ever meet Ruby? She's the same year as me and in my house so it's very likely you didn't. She spends most of her time with her boyfriend, who's also in our year but in Hufflepuff, and they've been together for ages. His name is Dean._

 _What else do I not like about Wednesdays? Well, for one thing, the way the word is spelled. It doesn't make sense compared to how it's pronounced. Like February. So not only is it a Wednesday, but it's a Wednesday in February. And it's also Valentine's day, so this particular Wednesday in February isn't my favorite._

 _Normally this wouldn't bother me or make much of a difference at all. But, seeing as this is the first Valentine's day where I'd actually like to be able tell someone how I feel, it's not that much fun to watch your fellow students all loved up and happy when you know you could have the chance to be too. If only your circumstances were different._

 _You were right, by the way. It's easier to focus on the dull things. Especially when you can't say everything you want to. Funny how all of that still somewhat manages to work it's way in there anyway. I'll just be spending my day trying not to be jealous of the girls who were showered with gifts, while also doing my best not to sulk or be bitter like some of the more lovelorn ones. It's a difficult balance to find._

 _Also, sorry to say that the first weekend in April falls during our Easter break, so it's very likely I won't be around for that. But we'll have to wait and see._

 _Your trainers sound terrifying, but I'm sure you're learning a lot from them. And I feel for Wilder. I've had to share a name my whole life and it's never been simple. I told Jill about the ice cream and she said she's on it. But I wouldn't expect much. It's not that I don't have faith in her to achieve her goals, but those goals change quite rapidly. I wouldn't trust them yet._

 _Trying not to miss you too terribly,_

 _Molly_

 _P.S. Thank you for the flowers. They showed up while I was in the owlery and just about to send this off. Kindly disregard anything I said about not liking this particular Wednesday in February._

* * *

 _February 22nd, 2024_

 _Dear Molly,_

 _Has anyone ever called you anything other than Molly? I don't think I've ever heard anyone do something like that, so I'd be a bit surprised. I suppose most people don't call your namesake by anything other than Nana Molly or Mum, so there's usually no confusion. Did you ever think about going by your middle name, though? You know, I'm not even sure I know what your middle name is. I'm sure I've heard it before, but I can't remember right now. You probably know mine, seeing as you're actually good at remembering stuff like that, but I'll include it in my signature at the end just in case._

 _I actually had an exciting trip into the field last week! I was partnered up with Cora, who's a second year trainee, so she's actually permanently assigned to a team, but still goes out on weekly calls as well. Anyway, we were put with the two Aurors that she's been assigned to, and they're working on a string of robberies that have been happening at wizarding homes but they haven't been able to find any links between yet, other than how the thieves gain access. I can't really go into any more detail, but it was amazing to get a glimpse into how a team operates on a larger scale rather than a single instance of domestic disturbance. I can't wait until next year when I'm assigned to a team and get to help with actual cases. It'll be brilliant._

 _I get what you mean about Wednesdays. That's the day we study protocols and regulations. There are parts that are interesting, but mostly it can grow rather dull, trying to remember dates and laws and rules and clauses. It's a nightmare trying to keep it all straight at times, but we could end up in a lot of trouble if we don't know how it all works, so at least there's a point to it._

 _I'm glad your day got better, though, and I'm especially glad I got to help make that happen. I wasn't sure if it was the best idea, and I took my time making up my mind to do it, which is why they were a little late in getting to you. It's a bit of a relief knowing how much you appreciated the flowers, even though I had no clue what I was doing or what kind you'd even like._

 _Keep me posted on your plans for Easter. Maybe we'll be able to work something out if you come home for the week. Until I hear otherwise, I'll remain hopeful. I'm hopeful for a lot of things, and every time I hear from you, I grow even more hopeful._

 _Can't wait to hear from you once again._

 _Ethan Frank Longbottom_

 _March 3rd, 2024_

* * *

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _So there is good news and bad news. Good news is that Roxanne and Lorcan are engaged! You've probably heard already, but I'm so thrilled for them. They really deserve the best kind of happiness, and I know they're going to have it._

 _On the bad news side, I'm going with my parents to the family beach house in France for Easter. While this doesn't sound like bad news, it does mean that I won't be coming home during break, and I won't be at Hogwarts either. So I won't see you._

 _I knew this was a possibility, and I know we said it would be difficult no matter what, but I really didn't realize just how frustrating it would be. It'll be alright, though. Have you found out what weekend you are free in June?_

 _France will be nice, though. Jill is coming with us, and Louis is being forced to visit his aunt and cousins so he will be around as well. Dom got out of it, seeing as she's of age and Uncle Bill knows only bad things come from making her do something she desperately doesn't want to do. As one of her best friends, you're probably very familiar with what I'm talking about._

 _Apparently, most of my other cousins are going to be spending half of break at the cabins we own in Ireland. I say "we", but I really mean my uncle George. He owns the house in France as well, but they're always open to whomever in the family wants to use them. As fun as it would be to spend the break with my cousins, I haven't been to the beach in ages either. And it'll be nice to have a little peace and quiet._

 _Yes, I did know your middle name, and I'm not surprised you don't know mine. I used to hate it when I was younger because I thought it was a boy's name, and Fred and James even teased me about it until their mothers set them straight, but it stung enough that I told my parents that no one was allowed to call me by my full name. They still don't, even though I really don't mind it now. I actually sort of like it. My mum explained to me that she named me after her grandmother, who happened to be named for a character from one of her favorite novels growing up. Consider yourself lucky, because you're the first person I've told in years. Jill doesn't even know what it is._

 _Take this as a sign that I basically trust you completely. Hope that doesn't terrify you._

 _Molly Jo Weasley_

* * *

 _March 15th, 2024_

 _Dear Molly Jo,_

 _Has anyone ever told you that you have a beautiful name? Because you do. I absolutely love it. I promise not to call you by your full name if you'd rather I didn't, but know that I find it suits you perfectly._

 _I hope you have a wonderful time in France. As disappointed as I am that I won't be able to see you in a few weeks, I'm glad you're getting to go and spend time with your parents. I know you miss them. I'm insanely jealous of them. And I'm off the last weekend in June, so you'll be heading home from school that Saturday. Maybe that means I'll actually get to see you._

 _How've classes been? If I remember correctly, you're well into human transfiguration by now. Are you enjoying that as much as you thought you would? Training has mostly been the same, but Teddy pulled out our physical charts from when we started to compare them to where we are now, and I was surprised by the difference. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say I'm stronger than I used to be. It's strange to think that there might be other ways I've changed that I haven't noticed yet._

 _I sat here for a solid ten minutes before plucking up the courage to say this. I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of this whole not saying what we're really thinking or feeling. It's getting to the point where that's one of the only things I want to talk about in my letters to you and it feels pointless to just fill up space with empty words that we both know are only there to keep me from saying what I'm actually dying to get off my chest._

 _I'm not saying we should stop waiting or really change the way things are, but all it would take on my end would be a word from you, and that door would open up just a little bit more. If you're up for it._

 _I know you might not get the chance to write me back before Easter, but I'll be waiting to hear from you._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _March 30th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _You are now the first person I've ever given permission to call me by my full name. Use your power wisely._

 _I just got home and we are heading to France bright and early tomorrow morning. I wish it was a longer stop over, but it can't be helped. We'll probably be gone by the time you get this. I thought about writing to you sooner, but I didn't want you trying to do anything rash like sneaking over here to see me. Not that I thought you would or that I would have expected you to, but if our places were switched, I know what I'd want to try and do._

 _I think this is getting dangerously close to the territory you were talking about, so take this as your go ahead to at least get some of the things you're thinking about off your chest. I'll even start. If I had any possible way of seeing you right now, I'd make it happen. I wish I knew where the Auror Academy housing was and I wish I was already seventeen and able Apparate to wherever you are, even though it's probably protected from things like people popping in unannounced. Even if it just meant I could see you for a moment. It would be worth it._

 _Classes are going well and I'm doing my best not to be overwhelmed. Human transfiguration is fascinating, and also more difficult than I thought it would be. Louis's been doing the best in the class, which bodes well for when he's a Healer. Never know what types of cases will walk through the door._

 _I'm looking forward to enjoying the sun and spending time with my family and diving into a good book, but I will sadly still have to get some homework done. At least I will be able to get it done by the ocean. I will definitely enjoy the change of scenery._

 _I hope to hear from you once I get back to school. Our train leaves at eleven o'clock next Sunday, and we're going straight there from the portkey office once we get back from France. I suggested we come back on Saturday, but once Dad has a plan and a schedule, it takes a very good reason for him to change it._

 _If there's one thing this whole thing is teaching me, it's patience._

 _I miss you very much,_

 _Molly_

 _P.S. Auror training has most definitely changed you. In a good way. I noticed._

 _April 8th, 2024_

* * *

 _Dear Molly Jo,_

 _I trust you're safe and sound and back at Hogwarts. It was painful to know that you were so close and I wasn't able to see you. It was probably a good thing I didn't, though. Then I would have said all that I'm about to in person, and I'm not sure that would have been the best idea._

 _My mind keeps going back to that moment when we were sitting together in the snow. Your hand was in mine and I remember your eyes as you looked up at me. They were so trusting yet also nervous. I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't been interrupted, but I like to think I would have been brave. Maybe told you then how I felt._

 _When I held you in my arms at the wedding, I never wanted to let you go. You fit so perfectly in them, and I don't think I could begin to describe how right it felt. I wanted to kiss you that day. I'm sort of disappointed I managed to talk myself out of it. I was all about waiting and doing what I could to not make things harder than they had to be. Maybe knowing what it's like to kiss you would make it more difficult to be apart, but the not knowing and desperately wanting to isn't easy either._

 _I keep thinking about what it will be like the next time I see you. I don't know when that will be, and it kills me to think that it might not be until you get home from school, but I fully intend on taking advantage of the summer. We get a bit of an extended break before the new recruits start in August. I'm not asking anything of you right now, but I hope we can at least see each other some._

 _I'm sorry if this is all a bit much for you. To be honest, it's a bit much for me too. But I can't be sorry about how I feel. I've never felt this way about anyone before, so I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. As much as I care for you, I'm still cautious. I probably said a bit too much already, but it's out there now. I suppose I could scrap this letter and write another one, but that would seem dishonest somehow. Especially after I asked if I could be honest and you gave me the go ahead. This is about as honest as I've ever been with anyone about this whole thing._

 _I could fill the rest of this letter with how things are going here or asking you about how things are there, but it doesn't feel right for some reason. By all means, tell me about your life and what you're up to. I'd love to hear about your trip. And don't feel the need to respond in any way that is similar to what I wrote. There's no pressure for you to do so. I just hope to hear from you at all each and every week._

 _Good luck with your last stretch of sixth year. I know you'll do brilliant._

 _Thinking of you always,_

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _April 16th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _Well, it has definitely been an eventful few weeks. First off, Rose and Scorpius are finally together! I mean, we all sort of knew it would happen eventually, right? They seem so very happy. Apparently things really started changing over Easter. Speaking of which. My trip was rather eventful as well._

 _I'd like to take a moment to say that my best friends are driving me mad. I think I've finally come to the conclusion that Louis has feelings for Jill that go a bit beyond friendship. We made friends with some siblings during our trip to France, and the brother took a fancy to Jill. She even went on a date with him. Louis didn't handle it very well. Jill, however, remains oblivious to what his problem could possibly be, even though I think it's a bit obvious. They keep getting into pointless spats, and I don't even have Caleb around as much to help me get through to my cousin when he's being a prat._

 _Oh! We finally know what was going on with Caleb! He and Lily were secretly dating! Others have known a bit longer, but I didn't find out until after Caleb told Louis when we were on the train ride back. That's another thing that Lou isn't handling particularly well._

 _Also, have you heard from Erin lately? I completely forgot to mention it when it happened, but there was a rather intense confrontation in the Great Hall on her birthday which led to her and Al finally figuring themselves out. So, your sister officially has a boyfriend, in case you weren't aware._

 _I think that's it as far new social developments go. It was actually quite a lot in the span of a few weeks. Sorry if any of that was boring Hogwarts drama, but I seem to recall you saying you wanted me to be a part of your everyday life, and I feel the same about you. So you get to hear all about the ups and downs of teenage romance._

 _I've probably made you wait long enough for this portion of the letter. Let me start by saying I reread your last letter more times than I could count, unable to get over how happy it made me to know that you feel the same way about me that I feel about you. I want all the same things you do and I think about it all the time. I can't wait for the summer and I'm so glad you get some time off. I'm all for taking advantage of that time._

 _As much fun as it is to see my friends and cousins sort out there romantic lives, I can't help but be a bit jealous of them as well. I don't know what the future will be like for us or when it will come, but I know I want it. It's not even that I see what others have and want that for myself. Because I know whatever it is that we have will be so much better because it will be us._

 _You're right about it being a bit much, but I suppose that's better than being too scared to be honest. I really like you, I really miss you, and I can't wait to see you again. How's that for honesty?_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _April 21nd, 2024_

 _Dear Molly,_

 _I'm all for your honesty. In fact, I think it's absolutely brilliant._

 _Merlin, these next two months are going to be torture. At least I have so much to keep me busy. I think I'd go mad if I had to sit around with nothing much to do with most of my time. As it is, training keeps me so busy that I only have a few hours out of my day where I actively miss you. I miss you always, but at least I have other things I can focus on so I don't go mad._

 _I'm happy for Rose and Scorpius. I know they've had a rough time of it, so it's about time they got things sorted. And Caleb and Lily is a bit surprising, especially all the secrecy. Though, I can see Lily wanting to keep the fact that she's dating from her male relatives. Her brothers in particular. I mean, I respect Al, but it's never easy to trust a bloke with your sister, so I can see him and James overreacting a bit.. And I did know about Al and Erin. She actually wrote and told me, believe it or not. We had a bit of a heart-to-heart about all of it over Christmas, so it wasn't completely out of the blue._

 _And don't worry. I don't think it's silly Hogwarts drama. You might be surprised to hear that stuff like that definitely carries into the post-Hogwarts years. It's even present amongst the trainees. In fact, there was a rather comical incident just this past week._

 _A little bit of backstory first. Mason, who you met at the wedding and is a second year, has had a thing for Cora since they started training. She had a boyfriend their whole first year and up until last month. So, naturally, Mason's been going mad since they broke up because they were together for a long time and he doesn't want to make a move too soon, but he's also afraid someone else is going to come along in the meantime and sweep her off her feet and he'll miss his opportunity._

 _His fears were almost realized the other day when we were eating lunch in the Ministry cafeteria like we normally do. There's this bloke who's an intern in Magical Law that Cora apparently worked with on a recent case the Auror team she's assigned to had. He sat down and started chatting her up, and it was obvious to everyone that he'd taken a fancy to her. He was probably moments away from asking her out when Mason's drink ended up in his lap. It successfully derailed the moment, much to everyone's amusement, save the bloke who looked like he'd wet his pants and Cora._

 _Who knows how all that's going to turn out, but it's been entertaining to watch. Cora was right annoyed with Mason for the rest of the day. I'm not sure she realizes what he's doing, but I don't think she's going to put up with him doing things like that for long._

 _Training is good. We had a really fun stealth practical last week. It was almost like an elaborate obstacle course where we had to improvise based on terrain. I still haven't done anything too interesting in the field. Most of the really exciting stuff like that doesn't start happening till second year anyway._

 _I miss you. I can't wait for you to be back for the summer. I'm excited for whatever it is that we'll have too. It makes me nervous to think about it sometimes, and I wonder if I've worked it all up in my head, but I really don't think that's the case. The few moments I got with you over Christmas proved that to me. I'm looking forward to many more of those._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _May 5th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _With all the homework I've had the past few weeks, this is the first chance I've had to sit down and write you back. We are getting closer to exams, and I've never looked more forward to the school year ending._

 _Jill has been trying to get me to have more fun, despite the extreme amount of work we have to do. She's a good student and does very well in classes, but we have different work ethics. I tend to keep a steady pace of revising, while she tends to cram at the last minute. I suppose it works for her, but I could never function like that._

 _There's a Quidditch match next weekend, Hufflepuff and Slytherin, so I'll take a break long enough to go to that at least. It'll be the last game for Al. And Scorpius as well. It's strange to think of them not being here anymore. Or Rose or Erin. Of course, I felt the same thinking about you leaving too. I'm still not used to that. I'd say I wish you were here, which part of me does, but I think I wish I was where you are more._

 _It's nice to know that things don't change too much after Hogwarts. Hopefully we won't have to deal with the things that Cora and Mason currently are, but it's nice to know that those type of things can still be complicated. I know life only gets harder as you grow older, but most of the time, I've thought of that in terms of money and work and the like, but it's true of relationships as well. I mean, what we're doing right now is one of the more difficult things I've had to go through, and the only thing we've really had to deal with is distance and timing._

 _Sorry. I'm not meaning to be a downer about everything. I just wish things could be different. Most of the time, I've got so much to be getting on with that I don't think too much of it. But whenever I have a moment of stillness or hear from you, it reminds me once again that I'm missing something. And I'm not even entirely sure what that is yet._

 _Nothing else that interesting is going on here. Louis is still being a bit of a prat, but it comes and goes. It's finally fully spring, so I've been able to spend time on the grounds which has been so refreshing. I can't wait to be back at the Burrow this summer and enjoy the beautiful hills and the pond and the orchard. Hopefully with you._

 _Molly_

* * *

 _May 11th, 2024_

 _Dear Molly,_

 _First of all, I'm fine. I expect you've heard by now what happened, but I'll go ahead and tell you everything anyway. I know I'd want to know exactly what happened if our situations were reversed._

 _There was a report last night about a break in at a house just outside of London that belongs to a member of the Wizengamot, and it ended up being the call I went on this week. The family is out of the country, and the wards surrounding the house had just gone off. I went with two of the Aurors, McDonald and Carpenter, and Zoey was assigned to two others that came with us, Bright and Woo, so she came too. They were a bit skeptical about taking two first year trainees with them since it was likely whoever broke in was still there, and normally this would be something that the MLEP would take care of, but this isn't the first time something like this has happened lately, so they sent us instead. Only, by the time we got there, the place was on fire._

 _We quickly called for backup, but started working to put out the fire as best we could. And then we heard a scream from inside. We assumed it was whoever had broken in, and the fire was contained to one of the upstairs rooms, so Bright and Woo went in. It was when we saw flashes of spells from inside and heard a huge crash that things really took a turn. Zooey ran in without pause. I kept working with McDonald and Carpenter to keep the flames at bay, but then there was an explosion and another room upstairs burst into flame. A moment later, I heard Zoey scream._

 _I know what I did was probably a little stupid, but I don't regret it. Especially knowing how things turned out. It was just as our backup showed up, and they started helping McDonald and Carpenter put out the flames. We could still see flashes of spells inside the house as Woo came back out, dragging an unconscious wizard with him. He told us Zoey and Bright were trying to deal with one more wizard inside, when another room went up in flames and the spells stopped firing._

 _Nothing happened for a few moments and no one came out. We were calling for them but there were no answers. Carpenter went in, and I couldn't help following right after him. The house was full of smoke, but we made it upstairs. Bright was unconscious and so was Zoey, and there was no sign of the other wizard. We got them out of there as fast as we could, which turned out to be just in time, because another explosion went off just as we were going out the front door, this one from downstairs._

 _I got a bit of an earful for going in, but I technically didn't do anything against protocol. If we're in the field and have no choice but to act in order to protect or defend, we're supposed to do it. And I wasn't the only one who went in either._

 _Anyway, I ended up with a few burns and they always want to check you when you've inhaled that much smoke, so I'm at St. Mungo's now, and I have been since late last night. Most of my fellow trainees have stopped by to check in, especially since Zoey was unconscious most of the night. She just woke up a few hours ago. Mum and Dad are here now, and I'm going to ask Dad to bring this letter back to the school to give to you. Hope that's okay._

 _I know that's a lot of information, and it's probably difficult to fully understand exactly what things were like in the moment, but trust that I didn't take any unnecessary risks or do anything I shouldn't have. I would never do anything purposely careless, and I want you to be sure of that. I don't want you worrying more than you need to._

 _I debated whether or not I would tell you this, but today was supposed to be my free Saturday, and I was actually planning on coming to the Quidditch match so I could see you. I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am that I wasn't able to be there. I really wanted to be able to see you. And I really don't want you to worry about me. I'm going to be perfectly fine. They're letting me go later today even. I'm not going to have to take any time away from training either, so that's good. A day of resting up and I should be good to go._

 _I really miss you. I wish I could have seen you today. I wish I could see you every day._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _May 12th, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _Thank you so much for your letter. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear from you until your dad handed it to me. I nearly cried in relief, but I managed to keep it together in front of your dad, who seemed very curious as to why you felt the need to write to me. I think he saw how distressed I was, though, so he didn't ask questions._

 _I'm so glad you're okay. I know it could have been a lot worse, and I'm thankful it wasn't. I hope Zoey is alright and that she recovers quickly. Is this the first time anything like this has happened with your group of trainees?_

 _I suppose my extremely speedy response was a bit surprising. I just didn't want you to think I was upset. Concerned, of course, but nothing else. I've grown to understand the risks that are involved with your line of work, and I realize there will be times when I'm worried sick, but I'm very proud of you and who you've chosen to be. I could never be upset with you for that._

 _The match was pretty exciting. Slytherin just managed to pull out a win after Scorpius got hurt. He's fine, though, from what I hear. It's a shame he had to miss so much of his last match. And as exciting as it all was, I had a difficult time enjoying it. I spent most of it thinking about you and wondering if you were alright._

 _I can't begin to tell you how much I would have loved to see you yesterday. I don't blame you for not being able to come, but it is a bit disappointing that the timing had to work out that way. Based on how things are going, I won't be able to see you until I'm back home. I know it's not long now, but it feels like forever._

 _I'm so glad you're okay. I miss you terribly._

 _Molly_

* * *

 _May 20th, 2024_

 _Dear Molly Jo,_

 _Thirty-three days. That's how much longer it is before you're home for the summer._

 _Is it horribly sappy of me that I'm counting down the days? I'm really glad we decided on this whole honesty thing, because it's growing increasingly hard to hide my impatience and excitement. I know I might not see you right away, but I hope I can. At least within the first few days you're back. You wouldn't happen to know what your plans are already would you?_

 _Save for some light scarring on my forearm, I've recovered completely. Usually, there shouldn't be any scarring when burns are treated as promptly and properly as mine were, but everyone who was burned during the fire has had some trouble healing. And based off of the state of the house, they think it was some sort of variation of Fiend Fire. Aurors are trained to recognize it, so since none of us did, they think it was some mutation, which is a bit concerning. They've questioned the thief we caught, but he's not speaking yet._

 _I can't really tell you anymore. Classified and all that. I might have even said too much already, but I know I can trust you. This whole thing will be easier when I can talk to you in person. They're not as uptight about stuff that's not written down._

 _We're all basically recovered. Zoey is still a little shaken up, especially because she can't really remember what happened after she went inside the house. There's actually quite a bit of mystery surrounding what happened, but once again, I can't go into details. I even know more than the other trainees, except Zoey, because we were actually on the scene. Normally we aren't involved in an investigation beyond going to a crime scene until we reach second year and are assigned to a team, but I actually got to look over a few case files the other day and help out with looking at some of the evidence from the fire._

 _It's crazy to think that it won't be long till I actually am a second year. This year has felt like the longest of my life, yet it's flown by in ways too. I'm ready for it to be over. So I can move into second year and so you can be home. At least for a few months._

 _You know what will be really nice about next year? You'll be a seventh year, which means much more frequent Hogsmeade weekends, which I'm definitely a fan of._

 _Ethan_

* * *

 _June 2nd, 2024_

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _Exams are drawing closer and so is the summer. It's been beautiful here the past few days, and I'm currently enjoying a nice break from all the studying and classes by sitting out on the grounds. My favorite spot has always been just outside the courtyard. There's a bench there that is rarely used, and it's become a usual place for me to escape to if I need the time away from everything else._

 _I hadn't really thought about the fact that I'll have more opportunities to go into the village next year! Does your schedule change at all as a second year, or will it be the same?_

 _Slytherin officially won the Quidditch cup! Gryffindor came close, but I'd say the biggest battle was what happened at the after party. It was horrible. I'm not even sure how it started, but before I knew it, Hugo and Lily were screaming at each other and so were Caleb and Louis. Jill ended up in the middle of it somehow too, and so did Bobby. I was talking to Ruby and didn't really notice what was going on until it was too late. I tried to help, but they weren't listening to anyone. It wasn't until Scorpius and Al stepped in with shield charms after Caleb pulled his wand on Hugo that things settled down._

 _Rose and Scorpius took all of them back to the prefect meeting room, and Jill told me after that it mostly all goes back to Caleb and Lily's relationship. Hugo and Louis haven't been handling it well, but then again, I see their point. I've never seen a couple more caught up in their relationship than the two of them._

 _Anyway, basically no one is talking. Louis and Hugo are alright with each other, but they won't talk to anyone else. And Caleb and Lily are pretty much sticking to each other. It's a mess and I feel like there's nothing I can do. Hopefully at least a few of them will see sense soon. It's going to be a long summer if they can't get their stuff together._

 _I'm trying not to let it all concern me too much. I have enough on my plate already with exams coming up. It's almost in my nature to want to help, though, so that's made it difficult. I've been able to at least be a sounding board for Jill, who apparently said some things that Louis didn't take well and she's trying to figure out how to fix it, which won't happen until she actually talks to him. Which I've told her many times over the past few days._

 _I'll try and focus on my studies. And the fact that I'll be home in twenty days. I can't wait to see you. I don't know what the plan is right now for when I get back, but my parents have typically taken Lucy and me out for dinner our first night home, and I don't see that changing. Will you have any free time the next day?_

 _See you soon,_

 _Molly_

* * *

 _June 10th, 2024_

 _Dear Molly,_

 _Depending on when I hear back from you, this might be the last letter I write this term. Twelve days. Less than two weeks, and you'll be home._

 _I hope things have at least started to sort themselves out with your friends and cousins. What a horribly tough spot to be in. Cora actually got really mad at Mason just yesterday for once again embarrassing that bloke from the legal department. At this rate, she's likely to date him out of pity, which is the completely opposite of the outcome Mason was aiming for._

 _I actually wasn't sure when we started if dating amongst trainees was allowed, but they actually don't mind it. They say it can sometimes be difficult to find someone outside of the work to understand it, so sometimes it works best to be with someone who understands completely what it's like. I can see where they're coming from, but I've seen it work both ways. I don't think I could keep writing you in good conscious if I thought it would be an issue that you're not planning to be an Auror too._

 _Not that we're together. At least, I like to think there's definitely potential for that, but I wanted you to know that I'm definitely not just going ahead and assuming we are. We said we'd wait, and while we've sort of blurred the lines a bit, we've still been waiting. I know I've been holding back some, and I hope you have been too._

 _So, I actually will be getting every other Saturday off as a second year, so I'll have a bit more free time! Hopefully it lines up with the weekends you're able to go to Hogsmeade. It'll be a horrible year if we have to do this whole never seeing each other again._

 _Like I've said before, I have the Saturday you lot come back free, and I talked to my mum about everyone who wants to coming to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner that night. I plan on being at the station to meet Erin, so maybe I'll see you there? And if not, maybe the Leaky is where your parents decide to go for dinner?_

 _If not, I'll come and see you on Sunday. In fact, I'll come see you on Sunday whether I see you Saturday or not._

 _Good luck with exams! You're brilliant and I know you'll do amazing._

 _Ethan_

 _June 20th, 2024_

* * *

 _Dear Ethan,_

 _Exams are officially over! I had my last one yesterday, but I think the best part of the day was when Jill and Louis made up. Finally!_

 _I think they more than made up, actually. I sort of interrupted them, and immediately felt bad for doing so. It seemed to be a rather intimate moment that I walked in on, if the way they both looked a bit startled and red when they saw me meant anything. I'm trying not to speculate, but I'm pretty sure Louis fancies Jill, so it makes me think all sorts of things._

 _I hope you know I'm not a gossip. You're the only person I've ever talked to about any of the drama going on between my friends. It's just nice to have someone I can let everything out in the open with and not worry that you're judging me or telling other people everything I say. At least I hope you're not doing those things._

 _I'll be home in just two days. It's hard to believe the summer is finally here. I told my parents we should join everyone at the Leaky Saturday night, and they seemed to be on board. I'll look for you at the station, but if I don't see you there, I should see you at the pub. In two days!_

 _Is it strange that I'm nervous? Because I am. I don't even know what exactly I'm nervous for. I guess I'm hoping I haven't built everything up in my head. And there's also the fear that maybe you don't quite feel the same way about me as I do about you. I like to think that my fears are unfounded, but it's difficult to feel like you're sure of anything._

 _It's nice to hear that you've been holding back. That gives me a little more confidence. I've been holding back a bit too. And no, I haven't been assuming anything. To be honest, it would upset me if you thought nothing else needed to be said. I feel like there's a lot still that needs to be said and figured out. And I hope that we only have a few days to wait before we can start having those conversations._

 _I can't wait to see you. Counting down the hours now._

 _Molly_

* * *

 **A/N: Finally happy with how these ended up! I have another snapshot of them in the works that will contain their reunion, so ot will actually go past where SALF ends. Just by a bit.**

 **On that note, I've actually started writing two sequels. One that is from Rose/Scorpius/Al/Erin POV, and another that is so far Lily and Hugo, but will quite possibly include one or two others. Still trying to decide. I also have a handful of snapshots that have come from those stories too. I'm not sure when I will start posting as I want it all to be well planned and thought out before that happened, so with the exception of my next Ethan/Molly, it will probably be a few months before you hear from this universe, unless I grow impatient and post anyway.**

 **Love to you all! Thanks in advance for the reviews!**


	22. Reunion - Ethan

**A/N: This actually takes place after chapter 51 of Show a Little Faith. Someone commented with the suggestion/request that I do a story focusing on Molly/Ethan and Alice/Malcolm with some overlapping interactions of both couples. I would honestly love to devote a whole story to these characters, and I considered holding off posting this chapter and keeping it to start off that possible story, but as of right now, I want to focus on the other stories in this universe that I've actually started writing. Those will actually help me lay out where these characters go, so you will see more of them, just not with their own story quite yet. In the meantime, enjoy!**

* * *

 _\- Ethan -_

Ethan hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of Molly on the platform. It was packed with families and there was steam billowing around, so he wasn't _that_ surprised, but he was incredibly disappointed.

Then again, maybe it was best that the first time he saw her wasn't amidst a crowd of people where he'd feel unable to act on his feelings. Not that he even knew what he'd do when he first saw her. He knew what he might like to do, but he wasn't sure he could. Or if he'd be able to work up the courage.

Perhaps it would be easier to see her in a group setting first. Then he could get used to being in her presence. Good thing there would probably be a crowd at the Leaky Cauldron. He could have time to get a handle on his nerves.

Ethan arrived at the pub with his sister, everyone else beginning to trickle in not long after, with Rose and her family along with the Malfoys arriving first, the Potters not far behind. It wasn't long before most of the Weasleys and extensions were present. Ethan's mother had planned a special buffet meal for the evening, and he soon found himself in line for food with Louis and Dom, who was talking her brother's ear off about something related to Quidditch. Ethan was having a hard time focusing, his eyes constantly flying towards the door every time he saw someone walk past the window or thought he heard the door open.

"You've got it bad, haven't you?"

Ethan was pulled from his distracting thoughts of where Molly was and whether or not she was coming by the teasing comment that had come from Louis.

"What?" Ethan asked uncertainly, busying himself with scooping some mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"You don't have to be all secretive about it," said Louis, his voice nowhere near quiet as he followed his sister down the table. "I saw her writing to you plenty, not to mention all the times she'd run off to read your letters."

Ethan felt himself growing red as Louis smirked and Dom giggled.

"It's adorable," she said, her smile teasing as she balanced a roll on top of her already full plate. "He's been _dying_ for the summer to get here."

"Lay off," Ethan said with a roll of his eyes as he grabbed a piece of chicken. "I don't tease you about whatever the hell is going on with you and Ly, do I?"

This shut Dominique up, which was actually a bit surprising. He'd seen other people give her grief for the rather non specific relationship she had with Lysander and watched her brush it aside. Based on her slightly red face and pinched expression, something had changed to make it not quite as inconsequential a topic as it used to be.

Before he could discover more, he received an elbow in the ribs from Louis. "Your girlfriend just showed up," he whispered in his ear, and Ethan automatically directed his eyes towards the door that led into Muggle London.

And there she was, already changed out of her Hogwarts robes and now in jeans and a flowing purple top. She was being hugged by her various aunts and uncles as was Lucy, Percy and Audrey making their way through their nieces and nephews as well.

Ethan was frozen, unable to develop any type of plan as to how he should react to finally seeing her again. He wanted to run at her. He wanted to run and hide. He wanted to call out to her. He wanted to crawl under the table. He wanted to be there with just her. He wanted to be alone so he could get his head on straight.

"She's not my girlfriend," said Ethan in a hushed voice to Louis after shaking himself out of his shocked state. Louis gave a disbelieving snort.

"You going to be able to say that tomorrow?"

Ethan sighed, realizing he couldn't really argue with the question seeing as he wanted the answer to be no. "I sure hope not."

Louis looked surprised for a moment, but then grinned and slapped Ethan on the back, both of them ignoring Dom's excited squeal. And then another distraction appeared a moment later when Violet and James showed up, the latter of whom was nearly tackled by his sister the moment he was through the door.

"Come on," Louis said with a sigh, directing his gaze away from his embracing cousins. "Let's find a table."

Ethan followed Dom and a slightly more somber Louis, all three of them joining a table that was already occupied by Scorpius, Rose, and Hugo.

"I have a newfound respect for you," Scorpius said to Ethan as he sat down across from him, the table that fit ten now over half full. He arched a questioning brow at Scorpius. "That Head Boy business is harder than it looks."

Ethan chuckled. "Bit of a traumatic experience for you?" he asked. "I heard some rumors that it was a bit rough on you both."

He glanced at Rose, remembering the conversation they'd had on the roof at Christmas. She gave him a warm smile. "It definitely wasn't easy, that's for sure. But I think we did alright in the end."

Ethan nodded understandingly. "Glad to be done? Or is it still all sinking in?"

Scorpius gave a noncommittal shrug as he buttered his roll. "A bit of both, I think. I know it'll be weird once September rolls around and we're not going back, but I'm hoping to be pretty busy by then anyway."

An excited yet anxious smile grew on his face, and Ethan returned it. "I heard we might be training together."

Scorpius nodded. "I hope so," he said a bit nervously. "If I can qualify."

"You'll do brilliant," Rose said reassuringly. She smiled brightly and adoringly at Scorpius, who looked at her appreciatively as she reached out and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it affectionately before raising it to his lips and kissing it lightly, causing Rose's brother to fake gagging into his dinner.

"Oh, shove off," said Dom, who was sitting on the other side of Louis and across from Hugo. "They're adorable."

"You haven't had to put up with them for the last few months," Hugo argued. "Not to mention all the other nauseating couples."

"Don't you think all the bitterness and jealousy is getting old?" asked Louis, bringing pleasantly surprised looks from Rose and Scorpius.

"I'm not _jealous_ ," Hugo said indignantly, but he shrunk back a little at Louis's skeptical look. "I'm not talking about this here."

Louis sighed and nodded, letting it go. "There has been a bit of an upswing in couples, though," Louis commented, and Ethan didn't miss the elbow nudge or the sideways glance that was thrown his way. He also didn't miss the barely contained smirks on Rose and Scorpius' faces.

Right. Molly had told him last term that Rose and Erin had found out about their letter writing. It would make sense for Scorpius to know too. Hugo, at least, seemed oblivious.

Ethan wasn't able to dwell on it much longer, as someone caught Rose's eye behind him and she grinned brilliantly as she began to stand. James came around the table a second later, setting his plate of food next to Scorpius before moving around him to hug his cousin.

"I'm so glad you lot don't have to go back again," James said a bit dramatically, causing Rose to chuckle as she hugged him tightly.

"So am I," she said as she pulled away. James reached around her to ruffle Hugo's hair. The younger boy merely scowled at his cousin before his eyes landed on someone else approaching their table, and he turned his attention back to his food, his expression even more sour. Ethan got an answer to whom he appeared to be avoiding when Lily sat in the empty chair next to him. Unless he was avoiding Violet, who sat at the end of the table, but that didn't seem likely.

There was an obvious shift in the atmosphere as James sat and began asking Rose and Scorpius about how they thought they did on their N.E.W.T.s, not picking up on the way most of the occupants of the table had grown stiff and uncomfortable.

Louis was subtly glancing between Hugo and Lily as he continued to eat his dinner, both of whom were doing everything they could to not look at each other. Rose was nervously chewing her lower lip, barely paying attention to the conversation Scorpius was having a bit distractedly with James.

"What's going on?" Ethan heard Violet whisper to Lily, who shrugged and poked at her chicken with her fork. She looked tired and maybe even a bit angry.

"Where are you going?"

This question came from Dom and was directed at Hugo, who'd stood from the table with his only half eaten plate of food in one hand and his bottle of butterbeer in the other. He didn't answer, ignoring the question and everyone watching him as he stalked off towards one of the other tables. Erin and Al were sitting with Harry and Ginny and Roxanne and Lorcan. He sat down at the end of their table rather abruptly and received a few greetings and questions, but he ignored them, diving back into his dinner aggressively.

Ethan heard Lily give a judgmental huff from beside him, but he ignored her and the drama that was going on between her and Hugo. His attention had been caught very quickly and completely by one of the occupants of the table next to the one Hugo had just joined.

He had been hoping that Molly would sit beside him, but then Lily had gone and ruined that plan. He had done his best to stay in the moment and not wonder where she'd ended up, but now that he knew, he couldn't bring himself to think of anything else.

Molly was sitting with her sister and parents as well as George and Angelina. She was smiling at whatever her aunt was saying, her red hair that had the same wavy quality as her mother's brown locks had grown longer and was falling nearly to her elbows. It always surprised him how much he was able to forget just how pretty she was when they were apart. It was almost like discovering her beauty all over again each time he saw her, the light freckles on her nose and the green of her eyes striking as he took her in. Ethan had only a few moments to admire her unknowingly before her eyes met his.

It was one of those moments that only lasted a few seconds, but Ethan could catalogue every single tiny detail of. The flash of surprise quickly followed by recognition in her eyes. The way her smile turned a little brighter yet more shy at the same time. The way he could almost feel his own nerves being reflected back to him as her eyes took him in with something close to desire. Not in a seductive sense, but more that he could tell she wanted that same closeness with him that he'd been wanting with her for months. To ignore everything and everyone else and just be together, enjoying the company and discovering more and more about who they were to each other. It was all he could do to remain in his seat and not march right over to her, even though he still had no clue what exactly he'd do.

And then the moment was over. Someone said something that caught her attention, and she looked away, though not without glancing back a bit regretfully a moment later. Ethan gave her an understanding smile that he wasn't even sure she saw before doing his best to focus back on his own surroundings as well. Whatever was going to happen between them could wait. It had waited plenty already, and as much as he didn't want to wait for it any longer, he knew he could. Because he just knew it would be worth it.

The rest of dinner continued without any other awkward or uncomfortable incidents. Lily eventually perked up a bit, and conversation flowed easily once again. And the whole time, Ethan did his best to wait patiently for the moment he could finally have some time with Molly.

That possibility began to feel even more slim as his mother asked if he wouldn't mind helping clear some of the tables as their meal ended. Most of the wait staff was tending to the non close friends and family members that were dining that evening, so Ethan agreed to help Dom with the dishes.

"Here," she said as she grabbed a stack of plates and set them on top of the ones he was already carrying. "You take these and I'll go get the ones from the other tables."

Ethan was thankful for his Auror training as he managed not to sag under the weight of the dishes. Dom hurried off and Ethan made his way through the crowd and to the kitchen, the door magically swinging open as he approached it.

"Thanks, love," his mother said brightly as she waved her wand and all the plates he was carrying came flying out of his arms to begin making their way through the soapy water in front of her. "Would you mind keeping an eye on this for me?"

Ethan nodded as she left the kitchen. He walked over to where the clean dishes were stacking themselves, taking out his wand and casting drying charms before beginning to put them away. It was a familiar task that helped soothe him, in a way, his nerves still on end as he'd once again found himself unable to do what he truly wanted to.

Being unable to find even a single moment with Molly that evening was starting to look like a real possibility, and he hadn't expected that. Not really. He might have said something in his last letter about making sure he saw her tomorrow if they didn't get any time tonight, but he'd really been hoping that would be a continuation rather than a beginning.

He heard the door open behind him and assumed it was Dom coming through with her own stack of dishes. Looking over his shoulder, he saw he was only half right. Dom had indeed come in with a stack of dishes, but she wasn't alone.

Ethan felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Molly follow her cousin into the kitchen, a stack of plates in her own arms. They were talking animatedly, but Ethan barely noticed what they were saying. He was frozen in place as he looked between Molly and Dom, who caught his eye and smirked. Of course she knew exactly what she was doing.

"Hey, I've got to take the dessert out," said Dom, cutting her cousin off in the middle of whatever she'd been saying. "Would you mind helping Ethan?"

It was almost comical the way Molly's eyes widened and her head whipped around to look in the direction Dom had just nodded. She obviously hadn't taken any note of her surroundings when they'd walked in. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, obviously a bit surprised and not quite prepared. Ethan smiled a bit nervously at her, and she finally managed to agree to her cousin's request. With one last smirk at Ethan, Dom set down her stack of plates and grabbed a nearby tray that was full of delicious smelling tarts, disappearing quickly from the kitchen a moment later.

There's something about coming face-to-face with someone that you've been very vulnerable with that's absolutely terrifying. Especially when the vulnerability happened through something other than an in person interaction. You wonder if you made a mistake being so open, and you wonder if maybe they were just humoring you. You've given them a lot of power to be able to hurt you, and it requires a lot of trust to do something like that, but it seemed easier to Ethan when he was writing to her. Now it sounded insane that he'd done such a thing.

It was silent aside from the washing dishes. Almost uncomfortably so. But then Molly's shock seemed to wear off and she offered him a small smile.

"Hi," she breathed out. Ethan felt his sudden and somewhat irrational fears starting to slip away as he smiled back at her.

"Here," he said, noticing that she was still carrying a stack of plates and moving towards her. "I can take those."

"Thanks," said Molly as he lifted them out of her arms. He tried to ignore the wonderful sensation of his hand brushing against hers, but it was a difficult task as he moved to set the plates near the sink, the used dishes joining the line of the others moving through the soapy water.

Ethan turned back around to face her, both of them just staring at each other. Molly now had her empty hands clasped tightly in front of her as she nervously chewed on her lip. He got the feeling she was experiencing the same insecurities that he was.

And why wouldn't she? Hadn't he said in his letters that he wanted to be close to her? To hold her again? Wanted to kiss her? Had wanted to the last time he'd seen her but chickened out?

And he'd done nothing to assure her he'd meant every word.

And she'd said she wanted all of that too. So what was stopping him?

With what felt like a hell of a lot of bravery, but actually came relatively easy, he took a step towards her. And then another one. And then her hands were no longer gripped tightly together and her arms opened up to him. She was wrapped around him and he was holding her to his chest before he could stop and think, her arms around his waist and his around her shoulders as her head rested against his rapidly beating heart. And he felt joy and relief and contentment as she relaxed into his embrace.

"Hi," he whispered into her hair, his chin resting on the top of her head. He felt too overwhelmed by her presence to think of much else to say. In a good way.

"I missed you," said Molly in a soft voice. She ran her hand along his lower back as she continued to hold him, Ethan feeling every movement she made and committing it to memory.

"I missed you too," he murmured back before placing the lightest kiss on the top of her head. He wanted to stay in this moment forever. Forget the fact that she had to go back to school. Forget the fact that he had to stay in London. This, right here, was where he belonged, and it felt crazy to think that he could feel this strongly for someone he'd only really seen half a dozen times in the last year. But he did. And as scary as it was, he'd never felt more ready to dive into it.

"No, wait, Hannah, it's fine! I'll get it!" he heard Dominique saying from somewhere that felt very far off but in reality was only just outside the kitchen. He didn't have long to contemplate what was happening before the door swung open and his mother walked in, her eyes widening as she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Molly quickly pulling herself out of her son's arms and turning to face her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dears," Hannah said apologetically as Dom grimaced at them from over her shoulder. "Let me just grab the ice cream really quick and then we'll leave you be."

"Oh, should we come out if you're doing dessert?" Molly asked, sounding a bit flustered as she tugged on the bottom of her shirt anxiously.

"Nope!" said Dom, quickly moving to help Hannah so the task could get done quicker. "You two take your time. I'll make sure we save you some."

They scurried from the kitchen a moment later, both with slightly mischievous smiles on their faces as the door swung shut behind them.

"Sorry," said Ethan once they were alone again. "They're a bit much at times."

Molly turned back around to face him, an understanding smile present on her lips as she looked up at him. "It's fine. I've had to put up with Jill making comments all year. That felt like nothing."

Ethan laughed as he reached his hands out to hold hers, and her fingers effortlessly slid between his as he clasped them between them. "I suppose me having to deal with Dom all year makes us even, then. Your cousin is tight lipped when it comes to her own love life, but the same is definitely not true when it comes to other's."

Molly let out a soft giggle, her cheeks flushing a light pink and her gaze going down to their hands. He supposed it was his choice of words, and he had to admit that he felt himself grow a bit warm at the mention of their shared connection being defined that way.

"I'm sorry I was so quick to pull away when your mum walked in," said Molly, looking somewhat guilty about her reaction.

"S'alright," Ethan said dismissively. "I know we haven't exactly been secretive about things, but we're still figuring things out, aren't we? I'm okay with keeping things between us. For now. That alright?"

She nodded and met his eyes again, her smile warm and trusting. Ethan smiled down at her, absorbing the way she was looking at him and the feel of her hands in his. He stretched out his fingers so her palms were flat against his, once again showing how much smaller hers were. She watched almost mesmerized as he curled his fingers over the tops of her own.

Molly let her hands slide down to his wrists and wrap around them, her eyes shifting back to Ethan's. She gulped nervously before pulling herself forward and stepping into his arms once again. His breathing picked up speed as his hands rested on her waist and she released his arms so she could rest her hands on his chest.

"You mentioned something in your last letter about holding back?" said Molly, her voice soft and tentative as she kept her gaze focused on his chest. Ethan felt his heartbeat quicken under her hand, realizing this very well may be one of those moments that he'd been waiting to have with her for months now. He cleared his throat nervously, his hands flexing on her waist as her eyes darted up to his. It was hard not to be distracted by the way she was anxiously chewing her lip, her fingers lightly twitching against his chest.

"Right," he finally managed to say, taking a deep breath and meeting her eyes with determination. "I didn't exactly want to do this in the kitchen of the Leaky Cauldron, but I'm not about to pitch a fit when I actually get a moment alone with you."

Molly smiled at him encouragingly, and Ethan relaxed a fraction more, his thumb brushing lightly along her hip. "Would you be interested in going on a date with me?" he asked, more confidently than he'd expected it to sound. Any remaining nerves he had melted away at the way she beamed and leaned into him a little bit more.

"I'd love to."

"Yes!"

Ethan and Molly both looked towards the kitchen door in surprise, the sound of multiple people shushing whoever had exclaimed in excitement drifting into the kitchen. With a resigned sigh, Ethan regretfully let go of Molly, moving around her and towards the door. He pulled it open to see Dom, Lucy, Erin, and - to his surprise - his mother on the other side, all four of them jerking upright from their slightly crouched positions as they listened in.

"Seriously?" he asked in disbelief. "You couldn't give us five minutes?"

"You've been in there for ten!" Erin argued.

"Actually, he's right," said Lucy.

"Sorry, I told them we shouldn't," said Dom, not looking the least bit apologetic. "We'll get out of your way."

She grabbed Erin and Lucy by their arms and started dragging them away, all of them stifling giggles while his mother gave him an apologetic grimace and followed.

"Everything okay?" Molly asked as he turned back into the kitchen and the door swung shut behind him.

"Just a couple of busy bodies," he said as he walked back over to her. Molly rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"My cousins, I assume?"

Ethan chuckled as he stopped in front of her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear and enjoying the way she blushed at the contact. "Only one, plus our sisters and my mother, surprisingly."

Molly shook her head but smiled. "I think the whole keeping this to ourselves thing isn't going to work out so well."

"It's alright," he said with a shrug, his hand resting against the side of her face so his thumb lightly stroked her cheekbone. "It's not like we were never going to tell anyone, right? And they all knew something was going on already."

Molly let out a light giggle, her cheeks still pink as she had a hard time meeting his eyes. They were standing very close together, and she was breathing heavily as her hands rested on his sides. Ethan leaned forward, pausing a breath away from her before resting his lips against her forehead. He felt her let out a deep sigh and wind her arms around his waist as he moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, his fingers winding into her soft hair. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he breathed in the moment.

"You free tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Ethan let a brilliant smile overtake his face at her quick response. "Brilliant."

He pulled away and looked down at her, slipping his hand into hers and beginning to pull her towards the door, chuckling at the slightly disappointed look on her face.

"What?" he asked with a smile, a pretty good idea in his head as to why she wore a slight frown.

"I thought there were some other things you were holding back on," she asked pointedly. Ethan chuckled before pausing at the door and quickly kissing her on the forehead once again.

"We can save that for tomorrow, yeah?" he said. "We haven't rushed things so far, and I don't see the point in doing so now."

Molly mulled this over for a moment before giving him a small smile and nodding. Ethan grinned at her, his fingers slipping between hers as they left the kitchen, grateful and relieved that they'd finally made a step in what he knew was the right direction, and very much looking forward to the steps they were planning to make in the very near future.


	23. Date - Molly

**A/N: We are getting into post SALF territory once again! This takes place the day following the last snapshot, so enjoy.**

* * *

\- _Molly -_

With a final check to make sure her skirt was straight, Molly was ready. She was jittery with nerves and excitement, but there was nothing else left to do in preparation for her date with Ethan Longbottom.

She'd chosen to wear a simple white top and a floral patterned skirt, paired with only a pair of pearl earrings and sandals, her hair that had grown longer than she'd ever worn it pulled half back. Makeup wasn't something she usually wore much of, but she'd made the effort to put a little something on her eyes and lips, though it was still subtle enough that she felt comfortable. She'd never been able to understand how Jill and Ruby were able to pull off wearing much more makeup than her. It was probably her freckles that made it more difficult.

Still, she wasn't displeased by her reflection, and she had a feeling that the way she looked wasn't the most important thing to Ethan. That didn't mean she didn't want to make a good impression, though. Molly would be very pleased if he appreciated the effort she'd put in.

With a sigh, she turned and faced her sister, who'd been helping her get ready and was now sitting on her bed. "What do you think?"

"I think you look lovely," Lucy said with a toothy grin. The excitement her sister had shown when she'd told her about the plans she'd made with Ethan had helped to calm Molly's nerves. Her sister knew her better than anyone, so if she thought this was a good idea, then there was a very good possibility that it was.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Lucy asked.

"No," Molly said with a shake of her head as she made sure her hair was secure. "But I actually don't really care that much. I'm just looking forward to finally being able to spend time together."

Lucy grinned even wider at this.

Molly nearly jumped out of her skin a moment later when she heard someone knock on the front door. Pausing only to wave at her sister while being told to have a good time and slinging the small handbag she'd shoved her wand and other necessities into earlier across her shoulder, she hurried out of her room and down the stairs, just in time to see her mother opening the front door.

Molly felt her heart skip a beat when she heard Ethan greet her mother, who smiled warmly and stepped back to let the young Auror in. She'd frozen at the bottom of the stairs and took a moment to take him in. He was dressed in a button up shirt, the same color blue as his eyes. The sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows and he had his hands shoved into the pockets of his khaki pants as he looked around the room. One of the first things Molly had noticed when she'd seen him for the first time since Christmas was that he'd let his hair grow out a bit, and the natural wave it had was starting to come back. It looked a bit lighter when it was longer too. She couldn't help admitting to herself how much she liked it that way.

The smile that lit up his face when his eyes finally landed on her nearly took her breath away. Like it did every time he looked at her. It was getting rather ridiculous how much being in his presence affected her. She hoped that in some way, that feeling never went away, but it would be nice to at least have a normal heart rate around him.

"You look amazing," he said as he stepped towards her. Molly was grateful that her mother had stepped into the kitchen as she blushed at the compliment.

"So do you," she said, coming to meet him halfway and accepting the hand he held out to her. Molly held her breath as he ducked down and dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek a moment before the door to the kitchen opened again and both her parents walked out.

"Midnight, right?" she asked her parents before the door had even swung shut behind them. Her mother gave her an amused smirk.

"Well, you are of age, so-"

"Yes, midnight," her father jumped in, shooting her mother a pointed look. Molly held back a chuckle as her mother shrugged and grinned at her father, who turned his attention to Ethan. "You know the drill, right? I expect my daughter to be treated with the utmost respect."

"Yes, sir," said Ethan, giving Percy a sincere nod.

"All right," said Percy with a satisfied expression on his face. "Have a good time, then."

That was all the permission Molly needed. She quickly hollered goodbye to both of her parents and Lucy, who'd appeared at the bottom of the stairs, before bolting towards the door and pulling Ethan out of it behind her.

It was still light out and the weather was mild, the sky clear and the temperature not too hot. Molly was thankful they hadn't gotten to the blazing part of the season yet.

"So?" she asked with a grin as she looked up at Ethan, her excitement overtaking her nerves as she slipped her fingers between his. "Where are we going?"

"We," he drew out, grinning down at her as he reached into his pocket, "are driving into London."

He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, clicking a button and causing the car that was sitting in front of her house to beep and flash its lights. Molly nearly danced in delight as they approached the car. "Is it yours?" she asked.

"Not exactly," he said, opening the door of the dark blue sedan and gesturing for her to climb in. He shut the door behind her before moving to the other side and climbing in behind the wheel. "It's our family car," he explained as he started the engine and they both buckled in. "And before you ask, yes, I've got plenty of experience doing this. Dom and I took a few road trips this summer."

"Don't worry," she assured him. "I trust you."

He grinned at her as she gave him a brilliant smile and settled back into her seat. Her parents hadn't used their family car much since she and Lucy had started going to Hogwarts, and she'd always loved driving places. Even if it did take longer to get wherever you were going. She cracked her window and enjoyed the slight breeze that blew in as Ethan pulled away and headed down her street. Molly and her family lived about fifteen miles outside of the city, meaning it usually took about half an hour to drive in, depending on the traffic. And as it was a Saturday in the summer, it was bound to be busy, but Molly couldn't bring herself to care.

"What type of places did you and Dom go to, and why didn't you mention any of these trips in your letters?" she asked, turning a bit in her seat so she could look at her date for the evening. Her rather handsome date, if she did say so herself. Ethan shot her a glance and a smile before returning his eyes to the road.

"Well, we drove up to Scotland one weekend, actually," he said. "Hung out in Glasgow and then Apparated to Hogsmeade that evening to stay with Alice. So I did tell you about that trip, just not how I got there."

"Technicalities," she said teasingly, and Ethan chuckled.

"I also took her to some baking expo up in Cambridge," he continued, "and that was a bit too boring to write about."

"And where are you taking me?" she couldn't help asking.

"First, dinner," he said. "I'll clue you in on the rest as we go. Is that all right?"

He threw Molly a questioning glance, and she smiled and nodded. "Perfectly. Is it a little too cheesy if I say I don't really care what we're doing and that I'm more in it for the company?"

Ethan grinned brilliantly, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel so he could reach across and slip his hand into hers where it was resting in her lap. Molly's pulse sped up a bit at the unexpected contact, and she was grateful that he had to keep his eyes on the road and didn't see her blush as he said, "I'm in it for the company too."

The rest of the ride passed quicker than Molly had expected, their conversation flowing easily from one topic to the next as Ethan expertly drove them through the London traffic. They eventually parked the car on the street, Ethan moving around to help her out before paying the meter, fumbling a bit with the Muggle coins and allowing Molly to help him.

"I'm going to be learning more about some of this stuff during training," he told her as he put the leftover coins back in his pocket. "We have to know the basics of getting around in the Muggle world just in case it's required for a case. Makes me wish I'd taken Muggle Studies."

"Yes, well, Muggle Studies is actually better than it used to be," said Molly as he took her hand once again and began leading her down the sidewalk. "Professor Bancroft pretty much taught the same material every year. Bray likes to mix it up. We focused on literature the first term, and electronics the second."

"Planning on jumping on the mobile phone bandwagon?" he asked teasingly. Molly laughed and shook her head as they stopped at an intersection and waited for the lights to turn.

"No," she said, "but I'm willing to bet Fred will try to convince me once I'm out of school."

They continued down the street for a few blocks, stopping when they reached a restaurant that had patio tables out front. At their request, the hostess seated them outside, Ethan continuing to be a gentleman and pulling out her chair for her before taking the one across from her.

"You're rather good at this whole date thing. Are you sure you don't do it more often?" she asked teasingly. Ethan smiled as he looked down at his menu a bit sheepishly.

"Actually, I've _never_ done this before."

Molly could see the slight pink of his cheeks even though he was looking down at his menu, and she felt her face warming at his comment, more pleased by it than she'd been expecting to be.

"I haven't either," she said softly. Ethan looked up at her, his eyes searching hers as if to confirm what she'd just said was true. Then he smiled.

"Wow," he said. "That's actually pretty bloody amazing."

Molly laughed delightedly and reached across the table to rest her hand on his. "It sort of is."

She took a moment to simple enjoy looking into his blue eyes that seemed even brighter than normal that evening as he looked back at her. It was hard to believe at times that they were actually here. All the months and months of wishing and waiting had led to this moment, and it all seemed completely worth it so far. She was determined to do her best not to think about the fact that his physical presence in her life was temporary. Not until she had to.

They were pulled from their moment by the waitress approaching, both of them ordering drinks before looking through the menu. Their meal was spent with easy conversation, mostly centered around her year at Hogwarts and his year of training, filling in the gaps they'd missed in their letters. She loved hearing the various stories about his trainers and fellow trainees, as well as some of the things he'd gotten up to with her cousins and his friends. Especially stories about Fred, Lysander, and Dom.

"So, they're not dating, but they sort of act like they are?" Molly clarified after a tale that involved Dom and Lysander starting a food fight in the Leaky Cauldron after hours.

"Sort of," he said with a shrug. "They basically act exactly like they used to around each other, but if you time it right, you can catch them snogging somewhere."

Molly chuckled and shook her head. "Sounds like Al and Erin."

Ethan scrunched up his face in displeasure. "I don't really want to know."

Molly laughed before finishing her dinner. Or at least deciding to be done. She'd spent so much time talking and laughing that she'd seriously neglected her food, and her potatoes were now cold. Her stomach was also in too many knots to be able to eat much. Ethan looked at her questioningly when the waitress checked on them and she let her take her plate along with his empty one.

"I guess I don't have much of an appetite," she admitted, feeling a bit guilty after realizing he'd be paying for her unfinished meal. "Sorry."

"No worries," he assured her. "We can grab something later too if you get hungry. I actually sort of already have that planned."

She gave him a grateful smile as he finished off his drink, and they left the restaurant a few minutes later.

"You okay with walking?" Ethan asked as they made their way down the street, going the opposite direction of the car.

"Absolutely," she assured him, grateful that she hadn't worn sandals with heels as he took her hand once again. It pleased Molly immensely that he now did so with such ease. There was no question about it anymore. They were walking together. Of course he'd hold her hand.

They stepped into a bookstore that was a few storefronts down from the restaurant, enjoying looking through the Muggle collection of literature. Molly was able to find a copy of the book she'd read for Muggle studies that year and was desperately tempted to buy it as it had a beautiful cover and illustrations. Ethan ended up offering to buy it for her, but she only allowed him to do so after he said he'd read the book himself if she'd let him borrow it. The purchase was neatly tucked away into her undetectably extended bag as they left the shop, her hand once again in his.

They walked for a few blocks in companionable silence, only breaking it to make a comment about something they saw or remarking on the weather until Molly began to catch onto where they were heading. She also began to realize she could hear something that sounded an awful lot like live music.

"Are we going to the Heath?" she asked when the music grew louder and trees sprung into view. Ethan nodded, smiling down at her as they continued towards Hampstead Heath. She'd been a few times before since her Mother's parents used to live in this part of London, but not since her grandmother had moved closer to her aunt out towards Surrey after her grandfather passed away. Molly had loved coming here as a girl, flying kites and having picnics in the open fields.

There were quite a few people around and the light was beginning to fade as they made their way onto a path that led through the trees, the sound of live music growing louder.

"Are we going to a concert?" she asked him.

"Not exactly," said Ethan, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he led her further in. They kept walking, their pace leisurely until he took them off the path and up a grassy hill. Molly had never been to this part of the heath, and she gasped in delight at the view that met her when they reached the top. London was laid out before her, the sunset adding beauty to the sight. And then she noticed the band that was playing almost a hundred yards away, a crowd of people surrounding the stage, cheering them on and singing along. Other than that, there was no one around.

"Wow," she said, the backdrop of the music completing the scene perfectly as she took in the view in front of her. "This is amazing."

She pulled her eyes away from the scene to look up at Ethan, who managed to look away as well and meet her eyes. He was grinning brightly, obviously pleased that she was enjoying herself. His hand released hers and he wound his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side as he faced their view once again. Molly settled against him, her arms winding around his waist as she listened to the music and enjoyed the sunset.

Once it grew dark, he suggested they sit down, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby before pulling his wand and a blanket that was the size of a wash rag out of his pocket. It was its usual size a moment later, and Ethan's wand was back in his pocket as he flung out the blanket for them to sit on.

"You're quite the risk taker, aren't you," she teased as she sat, Ethan joining her with a chuckle.

"I didn't see another way to do it. I don't know how Muggles manage, to be honest."

Molly laughed. "There should be room in my bag. We won't have to risk the statue of secrecy again when we leave."

He smiled at her, but then Molly wasn't sure if his smile had even left his face all evening. She leaned back on her hands, her legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. Ethan copied her position, situating himself so he was slightly further back than her and close enough that his arm overlapped hers and her shoulder could rest against his.

"Do you know who's playing?" Molly asked, thankful that they were far enough away that she didn't have to talk loudly to be heard over the music.

"No," Ethan said with a shake of his head. "I didn't even know about that part until this morning. I just wanted to come for the view."

Molly couldn't help smiling at that, appreciative of the fact that he was honest about it rather than playing it off like he'd planned the whole thing. It was the simplest detail, yet it meant so much to her.

"You're pretty great, you know that?" she found herself saying, only momentarily second guessing herself in the time it took him to turn his eyes to meet hers. The joy her words brought him was obvious, though there was a bit of humility in his eyes. Like he didn't quite believe her.

"I think _you're_ the one who's pretty great," he said, ducking his head down slightly so his forehead almost rested against hers. Molly stared up into his eyes, her breathing growing heavier as she tilted her chin up and brought their faces even closer together. She could feel his warm breath on her face, feel her heart beating rapidly as her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly in anticipation.

BANG!

Molly jumped back at the abrupt noise, her eyes flying open as she looked around and noticed that the sky was lit up. They were setting off fireworks.

She turned to Ethan in shock, noting he'd jumped back a bit too. His eyes met hers, and then they both dissolved into laughter.

"I take it you didn't plan this either?" Molly asked once she'd managed to control her amusement. Ethan shook his head as fireworks continued to go off above them.

"I'm definitely not that well organized."

Molly laughed again, unable to do much else as she looked back up at the sky, only looking away from it when she sensed Ethan shifting next to her. He looked up at her a bit nervously once he was completely reclined, his arm stretched out behind her on the blanket and inviting her to join him. Molly didn't even hesitate before laying down and resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling into his side. She felt him let out a sigh of contentment as his arm came up around her and his hand gripped her shoulder.

And then she remembered that she'd been seconds away from kissing him.

They would have another moment, she was sure of it. That would keep the growing disappointment she felt away. It wasn't like that was their one shot and they'd never get another one. They still had the rest of the evening.

Molly allowed herself to just get lost in enjoying the moment rather than thinking about the what ifs of the rest of the night. They watched the fireworks and listened to the music continue to play, until the light fade in the sky and revealed the stars, talking softly to each other until the band was no longer playing. It was peaceful and content. No one was intruding on their little corner of the world.

And then Molly's stomach reminded both of them that she'd barely touched her dinner.

Molly felt Ethan shake under her with a chuckle. She pushed herself up and was about to look down at him apologetically, but then he was sitting up too and smiling in amusement.

"How's ice cream sound?"

They had the blanket packed away in her bag a minute later, and then they were strolling back the way they came, hand-in-hand once again.

"You alright with going to Florean's?" he asked as they headed in the direction of the car.

"Let me guess," she said with a knowing smile. "They just brought back the mango pineapple flavor?"

Ethan laughed and dropped her hand, putting his arm around her shoulder instead. Molly was quick to wrap her arm around his waist, appreciating the fact that they seemed to fit together perfectly.

They made it back to the car, Molly allowing Ethan to get the door for her once again before he climbed in as well. She let out a sigh when the dashboard lit up and she noticed the lateness of the hour.

"You think we still have time?" asked Ethan, who'd noticed the time as well.

"Yeah," said Molly. "If we think we'll be cutting it close, you can always just side along me home."

"I guess so," he agreed, "but I hope I don't have to."

"Why's that?" she asked as he pulled out into the evening traffic.

"Because I'd hate to cut our evening short," he said. "And that's what could happen if we finish up our ice cream and realize we only have half an hour to get you home. It'll take longer than that to drive from the Leaky."

Molly smiled softly at him, his eyes still on the road and his expression regretful as he thought of their night potentially coming to an early end.

"Well, if that happens, we'll just have to find a way to occupy ourselves until the last moment possible," she said. "I don't want tonight ending any earlier than it has to either."

The smile that overtook his face at her words was one of the most endearing things she'd seen him do all night. It was equal parts giddy and bashful and brought out the smallest dimple at the corner of his mouth. It was so compelling that when they reached a red light, Molly found herself leaning across the console and dropping a soft kiss on his cheek.

He turned to look at her as she pulled away, though not very far, and his cheeks were slightly pink as their eyes met. It blew Molly away that it was only their first date and they already had such a tangible connection. Such a strong pull towards each other. It was hard to believe that it hadn't always been there, but then maybe a part of it had. It just took one of them acknowledging it and taking a brave step forward to see what it could turn into for her to really notice it. And she was very thankful that Ethan had taken that step.

"You're distracting the driver," Ethan teased. Molly grinned at him as he looked back at the road when the light turned green.

"Can you blame me?" she teased back. "The driver is very distracting."

Ethan laughed as she sat back in her seat. "I never would have guessed you'd be this…"

He trailed off thoughtfully and Molly looked at him curiously. "This what?"

"I don't know," he said with an uncertain shrug and a hesitant smile. "Demonstrative I guess is the right word."

She quirked a curious eyebrow at his observation, and then another word he was most likely thinking of that could also be used to describe her behavior popped into her head. She blushed.

"Flirtatious, you mean," she said, wishing she didn't sound quite so shy. He threw her a glance and a small smile.

"I'm definitely not complaining about it," he assured her. "And I suppose it does make sense, actually. You're not as forward or outspoken as Dom or Erin or even your sister, but you do wear your heart on your sleeve. At least I've always thought so."

Molly suddenly felt very vulnerable. It was a part of her that she'd always been a bit self conscious about, the fact that she knew she could be very easy to read. And he'd picked up on that. Which meant he could make a very educated guess as far as her feelings were concerned. He knew her so well already and this was just their first date. Wasn't the point of all this to get to know each other better? Figure out all the things he seemed to already know? What else could she expect, though. They had known each other her whole life after all. Of course he should know her by now.

And she knew him too. He was kind and considerate and paid attention to people, looking out for them above himself the majority of the time. He was remarkable in a lot of ways, and she'd seen that even more clearly tonight. The way he reacted every time she paid him a compliment or showed him affection brought to light how humble he truly was. Yes, he might be able to tell that she really did fancy him a great deal, but he didn't expect anything from her, because he didn't see himself for how incredibly spectacular he truly was.

And then the vulnerability didn't seem quite so scary anymore. Because she figured she knew him just as well as he knew her.

"I suppose I do," she eventually said. "Think you could get used to it?"

Ethan chuckled again, reaching out to hold her hand in his. He gave it an affectionate squeeze. "I can try. It might still catch me off guard for a while, though."

"Why?" she couldn't help asking. "You said it makes sense, right?"

"For you to be that way, yes," he allowed, "but I think being on the receiving end of your...affection could take some getting used to. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you fancy me at all."

Molly held his hand in both of hers, her thumb rubbing across his knuckles. "If it's because you don't feel like you deserve to be with me, I'm going to need you to stop thinking that. Because it's not true. You don't give yourself nearly enough credit."

He might have glanced over at her, but she had her eyes focused on his hand grasped in her own. Neither of them said anything else as they reached the Leaky Cauldron and Ethan parked on the street roughly a block away. Molly went to let go of his hand so she could undo her seatbelt, but he tightened his grip, causing her to look over at him in question. There was conviction and determination in his eyes, as well as gratitude.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm not sure I'll ever feel like I deserve someone as kind and beautiful as you, but it means a lot to hear that you think I do."

Molly was thankfully the only light came from the streetlamp outside, because she was sure she was bright red. "I'm probably never going to feel like I deserve you either, so I guess we're even."

Ethan gave her a warm smile, squeezing her hand once more. The conversation seemed to have reached a conclusion, but he still hadn't made a move to get out of the car. He took a deep breath before glancing away, letting it out before he cleared his throat a bit nervously. And then that determination was back in his eyes as they met hers.

"I was going to wait until the end of the night to do this, but seeing as we've basically brought it up already…"

He turned to face her as well as he could, moving to hold a one of her hands in each of his and resting them on the console between them.

"You said something about me not feeling like I deserve to be with you," he began slowly, "but that's just the thing. I'm not with you. I mean, I am _physically_ in this moment, but not in the way you meant it. Not technically."

Molly held her breath. She'd almost forgotten that this moment needed to happen, and she suddenly felt like she wasn't entirely prepared for it, even though she wanted it desperately.

"I told you I wasn't going to assume anything," he continued, "and that we'd actually have a proper conversation about this. I think it's pretty obvious that I have very strong and very real feelings for you that go beyond just a passing fancy. I'm pretty certain you might feel somewhat similar, and if that's the case, I'd love to stop waiting. At first, I wanted to put this off even longer, knowing it'll be difficult with you going back to school and there'll still be some waiting involved, but I want to be sure of each other. That we're well and truly together. If that's what you want."

He fell silent, watching her nervously, his lower lip pulled between his teeth as he waited for her response. And Molly smiled at him, so wide that it was difficult to get her next few words out.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" she finally managed to say. Ethan smiled fully once again, his stiff posture relaxing a bit as he responded.

"Yeah. I reckon I am."

Her grip on his hands tightened momentarily as she nodded. "Then yes. That's what I want."

Molly thought she'd already seen the brightest smile he could possibly give her, but she'd been wrong. He was looking at her now with complete adoration and joy, and it was one of the most fantastic things she'd ever seen.

"Brilliant," he said with a delighted chuckle. And then he brought one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed it quickly, continuing to beam at her. "Come on. We better get a move on with that ice cream before they close."

They were out of the car and heading towards the Leaky Cauldron a moment later, hardly any space between them as they clasped hands tightly and Molly held onto his arm. They quickly made their way through the pub, thankfully seeing no one they knew except Dom, who let them be aside from giving them a suggestive wink.

The ice cream shop wasn't busy, seeing as it was only fifteen minutes before closing time, and they each ordered a scoop of the mango pineapple that Ethan was so fond of. Molly thought it was delicious, but then she assumed everything would taste amazing right now. She'd never been this giddy in her whole life. There was nothing she could compare it too. And she wanted to hold onto this feeling for as long as she could, because she had a sense that it wouldn't get any better than Ethan Longbottom.

They ended up having enough time to drive back to her house, their ride consisting of flipping through the radio stations and enjoying the evening drive with the windows cracked. And of course Ethan held her hand the whole time, occasionally lifting it to his lips when he had a moment to do so, both of them basking in the surrealness of the moment.

"I know it sounds cliche, but I really did have a lovely time," Molly said when he'd stopped in front of her house. He turned off the car before turning to face her.

"I had a lovely time too," he said. "We should definitely do that again sometime."

He was smirking at her, and Molly smirked right back. "Well, seeing as you're my boyfriend now and all, I would think you'd want to keep up your reputation as a good one. And repeats of tonight would be a good place to start."

"Wow, setting me up to fail right off the bat," he said with a shake of his head, unable to conceal a smile. "I suppose that's what I get for taking you on a perfect first date."

Molly giggled. "I don't think I ever said it was perfect."

"It wasn't?" Ethan asked a bit uncertainty. Molly held back a laugh at his worried expression, biting her lip and shaking her head as she began to grow nervous. He was still holding her hand, and she leaned forward just a bit so she was resting against the console that divided them.

"No," she said softly. "Not yet, anyway."

It seemed to click for him, and then he was nervously smiling as well, slowly leaning forward to mirror her position. Molly's breathing began to pick up as his face grew closer to hers, her hand gripping his probably a little too tightly. She'd never done this before, and based on the fact that tonight was a first for him, he might not have either.

As he grew even closer and his nose brushed up against hers, she closed her eyes, her lips slightly parted as she waited with bated breath for him to close the distance between them. And then, ever so gently, his lips brushed against hers.

Molly took in a shuddering breath, letting it out slowly as he reached up to lightly stroke his thumb against her cheek, his hand slightly shaky. For some reason, this seemed to ground her a bit. And the next moment, she placed her lips fully against his.

It was soft, hesitant, and slightly awkward at first, but it didn't stay that way. Any hesitancy either of them had began to melt away as Ethan first moved his lips against hers, and Molly responded in kind. She sighed into him as he fully cupped the side of her face, his fingers stretching back towards her hair and stroking it lightly. It felt like it had been an eternity, but was most likely only a few seconds later when Molly pulled her lips away from his, though making sure not to move very far, every part of her thrumming with contentment and giddy delight.

"Okay," she said a bit breathlessly. "Now it was perfect."

She could tell he was smiling when, barely a second later, he kissed her once again.

* * *

 **A/N: Love these two. Love you. Please review! I'm getting close to posting the first chapter of my sequel that focuses on Rose, Scorpius, Al, and Erin, as well as another story I'm calling a spin off that focuses on Lily and Hugo and their friends. Not sure if there will be any other POV's in that one yet, but most likely there will be. I would absolutely love to hear what you'd like to see in those stories. Which characters, what type of moments or plot developments, anything else you want to throw at me. I've got six chapters of the sequel and four chapters of the spin off written. I also have three more snapshots written but I'm waiting to post those because they go with one of those stories.**

 **Also, I wrote a snapshot of when Lorcan and Roxanne got together ages ago, and I've never posted it, so I might do that sometime soon.**


	24. Love - Alice

**Up to this point, I've posted snapshots after they are referenced in a main story. This is my first exception. Short and sweet, this takes place before chapter four of _Leap of Faith,_ which I will be posting in a few days.**

* * *

 _\- Alice -_

She would be lying if she said it just sort of slipped out. She would also be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it before. Because she had. An embarrassing amount of times.

And it wasn't even about sex, really. She could honestly say that. It was about having him close and getting a glimpse of what it would be like to do life together. Sure, it had crossed her mind that the physical aspect of all that could come into play in the near future, but it wasn't her most prevalent thought.

Now, however, with him looking at her like she'd grown an extra head, she realized it might not have come across that way.

"You don't have to," Alice said quickly, desperately trying to backtrack as her boyfriend continued to stare at her. "I only thought that...well...it might get lonely up at the castle. I mean, obviously you can stay with your parents or a friend or something, but…"

She trailed off uncertainly, unable to meet his eyes as he continued to watch her from his seat next to her on the couch. They'd been enjoying a bottle of wine as they sat snuggled up in her sitting room after they'd cooked a lovely dinner together. It had all felt so natural and domestic and wonderful. Why did she have to go and ruin the moment by asking him if he wanted to live with her for the summer?

"I didn't mean to imply anything more than you simply staying here," she said, trying to make it clear without actually stating it clearly that she didn't expect anything more. "You can sleep on the couch, if you like. Or I could."

"No," Malcolm said softly, finally finding his voice. "I'd never kick you out of your bed."

She smiled at his chivalrous words, having expected nothing less from him. "We can forget about it."

There was a slightly uncomfortable pause before Malcolm said, "Do you want to?"

"Do I want to what?" asked Alice, finally meeting his eyes and seeing uncertainty mixed with hope in them.

"Forget about it?" he asked. Alice gulped nervously, knowing her response could seriously affect her immediate future.

"Not really," she finally mumbled, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "I suppose I meant it."

Relief washed over her when he smiled and let out a sigh. "Good, because I'm tempted to take you up on your offer."

"Really?" Alice asked hopefully.

"Really," he assured her. "I really don't want to be away from you more than I have to, and I'd love nothing more than to take advantage of these next few months where neither of us are exceptionally busy. Is that all right with you?"

Alice was nodding before he'd even finished his question. "That's perfectly all right."

She tried to get her heart rate under control as he smiled at her. She loved that smile. It had done wonders for her soul. There was a warmth to it that had disarmed her the first time they'd met, and it continued to take her breath away. Objectively speaking, there wasn't anything all that special about it. His teeth were reasonably straight, but still had some character. There was a dimple on his right cheek that only appeared when he smiled exceptionally wide. His lips were more thin than full, but held a nice amount of color. All-in-all, it was just a smile, but when paired with the warmth of his brown eyes that always held affection in them when he looked at her - even before they really even knew each other - there was nothing that could compare.

Alice felt her face warm at the ridiculous thoughts running through her mind as she returned his smile. It had been remarkably easy for her to fall for Malcolm Bray. Far easier than she'd been expecting it to be. Once they'd addressed her past and she'd decided she actually wanted to see where things could go with Malcolm, being with him had come naturally. After her initial visit to his office and their subsequent tea and snogging in his private quarters, moments like that had become common.

Not that it was all physical. There'd been many conversations and even comfortably quiet moments of them sitting together while he worked on grading or lesson planning and she read a book. She'd been working her way through the ones he was using for classes and had been thoroughly enjoying the Muggle literature. It had encouraged many of her favorite conversations they'd had. Seeing him passionate about storytelling and people and his students was something she'd never grow tired of.

"Brilliant," he said, nearly blinding her with his smile as he slipped his hand into hers. "I'll bring some of my stuff over after this week."

The familiar warmth of his hand in hers filled Alice up and she kissed him lightly on the cheek before snuggling back in closer to him, having moved away a bit after her suggestion that he move in. She rested her head on his shoulder as he breathed deeply in contentment. They sat there silently, a light afghan draped over their laps that wasn't exactly needed thanks to the summer temperatures, but added a cozy element to the moment. Alice was normally always cold anyway, and he didn't seem to be complaining.

"I have something for you," he said a few minutes later. Alice lifted her head off his shoulder to look up at him in question. He almost looked nervous.

"Oh," she said in surprise. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Don't worry," he assured her as he picked up his wand from the table next to the couch. "I didn't spend any money on it. It holds more sentimental value than anything else."

Alice watched in curiosity as he summoned the bag he'd brought with him that she normally saw him carrying his class materials in. She'd wondered why he brought it, and it seemed like she was about to find out.

"I've been carrying this around for about a month now, trying to figure out a good time to give it to you," he said, letting go of her hand and sitting forward a bit so he could look through the bag. He pulled out a slightly battered book with a brown cover and gold writing on it, looking at it fondly as he sat back against the couch so his shoulder and arm were pressed up against hers. Alice's eyes widened in surprise when they landed on the book and she read the cover.

"I always wanted to be like Tom when I was growing up," Malcolm continued, still looking down at the book. "He got into so much trouble, but it all seemed worth it for the fun he had. Not to mention the gold, but I don't want to spoil things for you. This was my first copy."

He smiled and held it out for her to take, which she did carefully, holding it in her lap and running her fingers over the gold letters that spelled out _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ on the cover. "You can't give me this," she said softly, overcome with gratitude that he'd even think to gift her with something so precious to him.

"I want to," he assured her, placing his arm around her shoulder and looking down at the book with her. He reached out with his other hand and opened the front cover. There were three inscriptions on the inside, the first two faded and the other very fresh. Her eyes went to the oldest looking one first.

 _Billy,_

 _Happy Birthday, little man! I'm so sorry I had to miss your big day. Know that I love and miss you always and can't wait to see you again. You owe me a rematch after destroying me in that last game of baseball we played. I'll be back with you and showing you how the game is played before you know it. In the meantime, enjoy the fun that Tom and his friends get up to. Maybe it'll give you some ideas for how we can spend our time together next time I see you._

 _Until then,_

 _Tom_

Alice's eyes welled with tears, recognizing the names as belonging to Malcolm's father and uncle. The same Uncle who'd died in the second war. She looked up at Malcolm, who had a slightly pained smile on his face.

"Uncle Tom gave this to dad when he was off fighting with the Order during the first war. Dad was only about nine at the time."

He didn't say anything else, and Alice looked back down at the book, her eyes going to the second inscription.

 _Mac,_

 _Happy Birthday, son! Your mother and I couldn't be more proud of you. We know you're going to do brilliant at Hogwarts, though your mum and I will miss you terribly. You've been such a help with your sisters, and I know they'll miss you too. As you can tell, your uncle gave me this book when I was only a little younger than you are now. It helped me through a lot and has kept me feeling close to my brother over the years. I'm giving it to you now because I want you to always remember where you came from, and that you have a family who will always love every part of who you are. Your uncle fought for you to have the life you have today, so make him proud. I know you will._

 _Love,_

 _Dad_

Alice was having an even more difficult time not crying now, a tear even escaping down her cheek that she hastily wiped away with a sniff. "Why are you giving this to me?" she couldn't help but ask. "Wouldn't it be best to save it for your son? Or a nephew?"

She glanced up at Malcolm, who smiled and nodded towards the book. "Keep reading."

Her eyes went immediately towards the brand new inscription, and her heart skipped a few beats when she saw her name written in his now familiar handwriting.

 _Alice,_

 _I know you're not going to fully understand why I'm giving this book to you and not saving it to give away the way my dad or uncle did. Maybe I still will some day, but there isn't a single part of me that doesn't want you to have this. I want you to know me completely, and until recently, nothing has been as special to me as this book. But then I met you. I don't think I could ever find the words to say just how much you mean to me, but I wanted to try and show you in some small way that you're the most important thing in my life, and I don't want to spend another day without you. I love you, Alice. More than Huckleberry loves his freedom and more than Tom loves Becky. You're my world now, and I hope you'll let me be yours one day too._

 _All my love,_

 _Malcolm_

Alice was having trouble breathing, her heart lodged in her throat as she experienced what it felt like to be loved fully and to have the complete and unwavering devotion of another person. It was equal parts terrifying and liberating. There was nothing else like it in the world.

She carefully shut the book, running her hand over the cover and smiling through the threat of tears. Her gaze moved up to meet his, and she saw hope and uncertainty and love in his eyes. Alice lifted a shaky hand to rest against the side of his face, her thumb stroking his cheek.

"I love you too," she said a bit breathlessly, and then Malcolm was beaming at her as his stiff posture relaxed in relief, the arm that was around her shoulder moving down around her waist and pulling her closer. She met his fervent kiss eagerly, her heart soaring at feeling so wholly and completely loved by him. He pulled away briefly, letting out a whispered, "I love you," and evoking a joy filled laugh of disbelief from her. She barely registered him removing the book from her lap and placing it on the coffee table, because a moment later he had both of his arms wrapped around her and was pulling her onto his lap, his mouth eagerly returning to hers.

Alice let out an appreciative moan as she stretched her legs out across his lap, her arms winding around his neck as she tried to pull him closer. Their current activities were far from new, but something felt different about them with the added declaration of love. It was more vulnerable and honest and invigorating as Alice was able to fully embrace the love she had for Malcolm. She'd known for a while that she felt that way, but it wasn't something she had let herself fully acknowledge, terrified that she would once again not be fully loved in return. But that fear had now been sufficiently squashed by the man who was holding her tightly and pouring copious amounts of love into his embrace.

A shiver ran up her spine as she continued to kiss him, his hand trailing along the bare skin on her lower back where her shirt had started to ride up. Rather than slowing things down like he probably expected her to, she wove her hands through his soft brown hair and gripped it, causing him to echo the moan she'd made a short while ago. His hand moved more boldly against her back, his fingers inching their way up under her shirt to caress her smooth skin. Soon both hands were pressing firmly against her bare back as his tongue invaded her mouth.

Alice loosened her hold on his hair, her hands moving down to his shoulders and then his chest. After a moment of hesitation, she undid the top button of his collared shirt, her hand resting against his exposed skin and feeling his rapidly beating heart. Either he was so preoccupied with feeling her that he didn't notice, or he had no intention of stopping her. Alice boldly moved her hand down to undo the next button before lightly trailing her fingers over the soft hair on his chest. He responded by digging his fingers into her back a little more firmly and gasping into her mouth.

Encouraged by this, Alice made quick work of the rest of the buttons on his shirt, running her hands from his stomach up to his shoulders once he was exposed to her. Malcolm pulled his mouth away from hers and began kissing down her neck as he brought his hands around to her sides, still under her shirt.

With a boldness she didn't know she possessed, Alice lifted her arms as Malcolm slowly worked his hands up her sides, bringing her shirt along with them. He paused for only a moment before detaching his lips from her neck and pulling the shirt gently over her head.

They sat there, breathing heavily and staring at each other as Malcolm's hands returned to her waist. Alice shivered at the gentleness of his touch and his gaze, which was soaking up every inch of her.

Over the past few months, there'd been a subtle progression of exploration and intimacy, but nothing like this. Nothing so blatantly leading to something more.

They'd talked about this, but not so much in terms of when or if they would take this step. It was more about where they each wanted to be in a relationship before it happened. Not only did Alice want to be in love, she wanted to be accepted and cared for and loved completely in return. And she'd expressed this to Malcolm only a few weeks into their relationship. She'd wanted to have a frank discussion on expectations and boundaries, and after he agreed and said he felt the same, the subject hadn't been brought up again.

And now, even though the part of her that was still overcoming her past scars was terrified, Alice found that nothing needed to be said by either of them to make sure they both knew this was what they wanted, that they trusted each other, and that they both knew exactly what they were doing. It was so painfully obvious, that even a troll would be able to spot the love between them.

With a pleased and slightly mischievous grin, Malcolm quickly slipped one arm under her legs and the other around her back. Alice gave a startled yelp when he stood from the couch, lifting her effortlessly in his arms. Her startled cry quickly turned into laughter as he took careful steps across the sitting room and towards her bedroom. Unable to wait, she kissed him again, her arms winding around his neck as he nudged open her bedroom door, laughing against her lips in delight a second later when he kicked it shut behind them.


	25. Inevitable - Roxanne

**A/N: So I wrote this forever ago, well before I think I even started publishing SALF. I've been trying to figure out a good time to share it, and figured why not now! Don't worry. You'll still get the Dom/Lysander snapshot I promised this week as well, but I thought we'd let his brother shine a little first.**

 **This chapter takes place in Roxanne's fifth year at Hogwarts, well before any of our other stories take place.**

* * *

 _\- Roxanne -_

Everyone said it was inevitable. As children, they were joined at the hip, running around the backyard of the Burrow, catching the creepy crawlies and playing with the gnomes that hadn't been flung over the hedge. There were times when she could be found with Violet and her cousins, or him with the other boys, but they always found their way back to each other.

They only got closer as they grew older. He became a shoulder she could always count on for her tears, and she was his rock when he needed to be grounded. When they went to Hogwarts, they were disappointed to be sorted into different houses, but they didn't let it derail their close friendship. They spent most of their time in each other's company, often joined by their twin brothers and James and Violet. It was bizarre to everyone around them that, though they each had someone who would always be by their side and they'd forever share a special bond with, they were almost closer with each other than their respective twin.

By the time fourth year rolled around, people really began to talk about their undeniable romantic connection, and how they were "made for each other." Roxanne didn't like to give this too much thought. They were happy with how things were and she would rather they stayed the same than ruin a friendship.

But then he'd gone and done it. He'd made the first move and blown the door wide open to the possibility of them - together as a couple. And Roxanne Weasley knew she was about to have one of the best days she'd ever had in her sixteen years of life.

It happened not long into fifth year, about a month after their birthdays. They'd had their traditional party during the week that separated her and Fred's birthday from Lorcan and Lysander's, and the tension between them - the pull she felt towards him that night - had never been stronger. Roxanne could only assume that he'd felt it too, because it hadn't taken him long to act after that.

Despite how much she'd wanted and even expected it, she could hardly believe that Lorcan Scamander had actually asked her out on a date.

The way he'd gone about it had been incredibly thoughtful, which didn't come as a surprise to Roxanne. He wrote her a letter that he had Violet deliver to her dormitory before she retreated there the night before. It was lying on her pillow when she entered the room, and she read it over and over again that evening and early into the morning, not only trying to make a decision, but wanting be sure that it actually said what she thought it did.

 _Roxanne,_

 _My dearest friend in the world. I hope you know how much you mean to me. I can't imagine what type of person I would be without you, and I hope you feel the same. As we've grown together, so have my feelings for you. I hope this doesn't come across as too much of a shock, but I'm afraid that I've been rather obvious about my feelings for a while now, so you're probably already well aware of how much I fancy you._

 _If there is any chance you feel the same, and I will be the luckiest bloke there is if you do, would you please do me the honor of accompanying me tomorrow evening for a picnic on the grounds? We can meet by the edge of the forest near that tree you love so much. I know we've done this before, but it'll be different this time. I fully intend to hold your hand, stare into you gorgeous, brown eyes, and tell you exactly what you mean to me. I think I've waited long enough. We both have._

 _I'll be waiting for you under the tree at seven o'clock. I hope to see you then._

 _All my affection,_

 _Lorcan_

She now stood in the Entrance Hall, just inside the oak front doors. They had spent the day going to classes together, and he'd acted as if nothing had changed, both of them ignoring knowing looks from their friends and siblings. The only difference she saw was that he watched her when he thought she wasn't looking. Of course, he could have been doing that all along and she just hadn't noticed before. And now, here she stood, more nervous than she had ever been, but determined to see this through. She still wasn't positive it was the best idea to actually risk their friendship and go for something more, but it was now or never, and Merlin, did she want it to go perfectly.

Dressed in a simple, light blue dress that was striking against her light brown skin, with her curly, dark brown hair left to its own devices save for the white headband that kept it off her face, she made her way out onto the grounds, immediately wishing she had brought some type of jumper or shawl with her. It was early October, and while it hadn't turned completely cold yet, the quarter-length sleeves she wore didn't quite do the job.

She walked the familiar trek to her favorite spot in the entirety of Hogwarts. Coming around a slight bend at the edge of the forest, she spotted the tall oak tree that had been her favorite since they'd discovered it in their first year. It was just out of sight of the castle, and it almost felt like they were far away from Hogwarts.

And there he was. Under the tree, he had spread a blanket with an assortment of pillows placed on it for comfort. A few candles hung from some of the low hanging branches, while others floated around the perimeter of the blanket. A basket that she assumed contained their dinner sat to one side.

Lorcan paced back and forth in front of the blanket, waiting for her to arrive, and possibly worried that she wouldn't. She could spot his nervous habits anywhere; his hand slapping his thigh in a sporadic rhythm as he mumbled to himself and occasionally rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. Roxanne stopped and just watched him for a while, taking in the deep green of the sweater he wore that contrasted beautifully with his dirty blond hair. His dark wash jeans fit him perfectly. She might sometimes laugh at him for caring more about what he wore than she did, but she wasn't complaining now.

Realizing he still hadn't noticed her, she decided to finally put him out of his misery.

"Worried I wouldn't show?" she asked, a small, shy, smile gracing her features.

Lorcan stopped suddenly and turned to face Roxanne at the sound of her voice. He released a relieved sigh as a smile lit up his face. She was surprised to find him striding towards her a moment later, his arms winding around her and holding her so close that her feet left the ground.

"Merlin, I guess I was," he said, a smile in his voice as he held her tightly for a few more moments before her feet found the ground again. She pulled away, slightly flustered from the embrace, and he grabbed her hand and led her to sit on one of the many cushions strewn around the blanket on the edge of the forest.

"Packed all our favorites," he said as he started to pull food out of the basket. There were fish fingers, mashed potatoes, and jammy dodgers among many other items of food that made up their eclectic meal. He dished them up a plate each and they began to eat, each with a bottle of Butterbeer to go with their food.

Roxanne continued to watch him as they ate. They didn't say much, but he kept looking at her and grinning like a fool. His occasional comments consisted of things like "I'm so happy you're here," and "could this night get any better?" She was of the opinion it could. She loved being there with him, but there was still so much that she felt needed to be said. Sure, his letter said a lot, but she hadn't had a chance to talk, and although she was terrified of doing so, she wanted to tell him how she felt as well. But part of her was worried that she would frighten him away.

They were finished with their meal and had started in on dessert by the time he said anything substantial.

"I'm glad my letter didn't scare you off. I was worried I had come on a little strong, but Ly, Fred, and James seemed to think it was all right."

She laughed and rolled her eyes at him in a disbelieving way. "You brought our twins and my cousin into this? Do you want to be mocked?"

Lorcan grinned. "I know, but I was nervous as hell and they actually had some really solid advice. I was all for signing it anonymously, but they pointed out that you were more likely to come if you knew for sure it was me. I wasn't sure if I believed them or not but they convinced me in the end. I guess it wasn't the wrong decision?"

He seemed nervous again, and he looked at her as if she held his fate in her hands before he continued.

"It's just that, I've been thinking about tonight for a while now, and I really wanted to do it right. I don't want to mess this up because you mean too much to me and I couldn't stand losing you or driving you away. I'll understand if you just want to be friends, and I just hope you know that I'll never stop wanting to be your friend and I - "

"Lor," she said quietly, a soft smile and a look of adoration in her eyes as she looked at him across their spread of food. He stopped talking and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Lorcan wasn't the most outgoing person, but something they had learned about each other was that he had a tendency to ramble when he was nervous, while she was more likely to clam up. After taking a deep breath, she began.

"I loved your letter. It was so honest and beautiful. I could tell you put a lot of effort into it. And while I wouldn't normally recommend taking advice from the three fools, I think they were right on this occasion."

He smiled sheepishly at her, his blue eyes hopeful as she continued.

"I've been in denial about all of this for a while due to a lot of the same reasons you just listed," Roxanne admitted. "And then there's the expectations that not only others put on us, but that I do too. People always say to me 'Oh, just you wait, he's the one for you and you'll wind up married by the time you're twenty.' But I've always brushed them off because the last thing I want is to lose you as a friend. I know people can date, break up, and then remain friends, but I've always known, that with you, it wouldn't be that simple."

He looked at her, slightly concerned, and she took a deep breath. This was it, the moment she laid it all out there and he either accepted her or let her down easy.

"Lorcan, I could never lose you. It would break my heart. Because my heart has belonged to you for a long time now, and I don't think it will ever stop loving you."

She said the words with strength, more than she'd thought she would be able to muster. He stared at her for a moment, letting her words sink in.

"You love me?" he asked, his words laced with awe and disbelief.

"Yes," she sighed. "I love you." And her heart soared with the ability to say those words. They had never traded them as friends. It was almost as if it were understood that the moment they said those words to each other, it would mean a great deal. It might seem too soon or that they were too young, but Roxanne had spent her whole life loving Lorcan Scamander. If anything, she felt like she'd waited too long to tell him.

Lorcan was positively beaming at her, and then he was crawling towards her across the blanket, not worrying about all the dishes that lay between them.

"Lorcan!" she scolded him as he made a mess of the leftover food and dishes in his hurry to get to her, but she was laughing as she said it. When he reached her, he kept moving until she was forced to lie back, propped up on her elbows and staring up at him with unbridled mirth in her eyes.

He grinned at her with the same expression in his own eyes before saying with a tremendous amount of conviction, "I love you too, Roxanne Weasley."

She continued to grin at him as he moved in to kiss her, but his knee slipped in the mashed potatoes as he moved forward and he ended up inadvertently tackling her to the ground. Her sides split with laughter as he groaned into the blanket beside her head, and he soon joined her in laughing at himself as he pulled his body up to hover over hers. The laughter only subsided when they both began to realize the position they were in.

Roxanne's hair was splayed out over the blanket as she blinked up at him, her lips parting in anticipation as he slowly lowered his head and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. He whispered that he loved her again, before kissing her with more intensity. Warmth spread through Roxanne, the feel of his lips on hers both foreign yet somehow familiar. The most prevalent feeling coursing through her was that being this close to him made the most sense in the world, and her arms wound themselves around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening their embrace

They stayed wrapped up in each other for the majority of the evening. He eventually rolled over so they lay facing each other, occasionally pausing their activities to confess more truths. Lorcan would say things like, "I've always wondered what it would be like to kiss you," and, "why haven't we been doing this all along?" She would talk about how, "she always knew she loved him," and that, "she had been terrified that she would scare him away with the intensity of her feelings." But he had quickly reassured her, saying that if she hadn't, he would have said it at some point that evening anyway.

After what felt like no time at all but was actually a solid few hours, they eventually made their way back up to the castle, and he held her hand like he said he would as they strolled leisurely beneath the stars. It amazed Roxanne how perfectly they fit together, his long fingers lined up snugly between her own and her head at just the right height to rest against his shoulder.

When they got back to the joint common room, it was to find their friends all there and waiting for them. James, Violet, Fred, and Lysander all took one look at Roxanne and Lorcan's clasped hands and stood up, letting out cheers for the happy couple, who both blushed at their reception. Lorcan threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side as she covered her face to try and hide her blush.

"Oh, come off it," Lorcan yelled at them.

"Relax, mate, we're just happy for you that's all!" his brother said as he strolled over to give Lorcan a clap on the back.

"Yeah," said Fred. "It's not everyday your best friend's twin ends up with your own twin."

"You are together, right?" asked Violet in excitement. "Like, good and proper?"

Roxanne grinned and nodded, and then Violet was squealing in delight and hugging her best friend tightly.

"You'd think they'd just gotten engaged," said James with a roll of his eyes, but there was obvious affection and humor in his tone.

"I'm allowed to be excited," Violet said while still holding Roxanne. "I've been waiting for this day for _years_!"

They all shared a laugh, and James eventually had to peel Violet off of his cousin.

"I should probably head to bed," said Roxy before looking up at Lorcan with a question in her eyes. They had planned on spending more time together in the common room, but with their friends present and rambunctious, that wasn't likely to happen. Besides, they'd have plenty of time together over the coming months and, if they were lucky, years.

"I guess you're right," said Lorcan after looking at his watch. He sighed and glanced around before dropping a quick kiss on Roxanne's lips. Everyone either aww-ed or made gagging motions as they broke apart, and Roxanne grabbed the arm of her best friend and dragged her out of the common room while shouting back a goodnight to her boyfriend and their friends.

Her boyfriend. The thought made her grin.

Violet immediately began jabbering on about how excited she was for her friend as they walked towards their common room. Roxanne noticed Dom and Eva racing out of the room they had just left and following them, probably hoping to get some of the juicier details. She laughed at Violet, who was wiggling her eyebrows at her and asking for said details as Dom and Eva caught up with them, both immediately asking if it went well.

"Oh yes," said Roxanne, her smile so fixed to her face that she was sure she'd still be smiling in her sleep. "it went very well indeed."

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! And if you have requests for more snapshots that take place outside of the main storyline, let me know! I'm actually working working on a Teddy/Victoire one right now!**


	26. Talk - Dominique & Lysander

**A/N: This takes place during chapter four of _Leap of Faith_**

* * *

 _-Dominique-_

Dominique really had thought she was fine with the way her life was going.

She enjoyed working at the Leaky Cauldron, no matter how much she complained about it. It was the fear of being stuck rather than the actual work that bothered her. But she still had time to figure out what she wanted to do. In the meantime, she could perfect her baking skills and enjoy the interesting characters that frequented the Leaky Cauldron. Even though she wanted to be doing more with her life.

She'd also thought she was fine with the way things were between herself and Lysander.

It had started as casually as they'd intended it to. It was as if they were friends who occasionally snogged. No talks about feelings or expectations or the future. Just two people who enjoyed spending time together and occasionally acted on their mutual attraction.

That was the way it was. Until Easter.

While she'd handled the situation seamlessly, Dominique's nerves had been in overdrive when Lily had asked if she and Lysander were dating. It had been a bit surprising to her when Lysander had shrugged and her affirmative answer had flown out of her mouth. But she'd decided to just go with it. They could talk through the details later.

But the details had never come. She hadn't brought it up, hoping he would do it. But he hadn't. There'd been no reference to the status of their relationship, he hadn't called her his girlfriend, and absolutely nothing had changed. It had taken Dominique awhile to realize it, but she'd come to the conclusion that she actually wanted it to change.

She'd never considered herself to be the type of girl that got all worked up over a boy. There hadn't really been anyone she'd taken note of when she'd been in school. Most of them just seemed too immature to be appealing. Which she found to be quite ironic since she was now handling her current situation in what was arguably an immature way. And so was Lysander.

After coming to the ridiculous conclusion that she had actual feelings for Lysander, and terrified by the prospect of what that could mean, she decided that the first logical step to take would be to consult someone who was actually good at relationships.

With a determined attitude, she finished up her shift at the Leaky Cauldron and quickly apperated to the alley behind Teddy and Victoire's building. She hurried around to the front and up the stairs to the second floor, knocking a bit impatiently on the door to her sister's flat.

"Coming!" someone yelled from the other side of the door, and it took Dominique a second to register that it wasn't her sister's voice. When the door opened, she was greeted by a smiling Rose Weasley, whose expression turned surprised when she saw her cousin.

"Dom, hi!" she said, sounding a bit taken aback. "Victoire didn't tell me you were coming."

"She didn't know," said Dom as Rose stood back to let her in. "Is she here?"

"She has class," said Rose, and Dominique groaned in disappointment before collapsing onto the sofa. "Everything all right?"

"No," she grumbled. "I'm a bit of a mess right now."

Rose looked at her in concern as she sat in the armchair across from the couch. "What happened?"

Dominique let out an exaggerated sigh. "Nothing," she said, slouching back and letting her arms fall at her sides in a show of defeat. "Absolutely nothing has happened, and that's the problem."

She barely registered Rose checking her watch and fidgeting almost anxiously. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"That was sort of my point in coming here," said Dom. "Don't suppose you've got any great insight into how to handle complicated situations?"

Rose chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I do."

She checked her watch one more time and seemed to come to some sort of decision. With a resigned sigh, she stood and moved towards the fire, throwing in some Floo powder and getting down on her knees before sticking her head in the green flames. Whatever conversation she was having lasted only a few minutes before she moved back out of the fire and walked into the kitchen.

"Who was that?" Dom asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it," Rose hollered from the kitchen. "Scorpius was going to come over. I just told him it wasn't a good time."

"Oh," said Dom, feeling guilty but still reluctant to pull herself off the couch. "I'm sorry."

"Really, it's fine," Rose assured her as she came back out of the kitchen, this time with a tub of ice cream and a tin of biscuits in hand. "I was actually a bit nervous and possibly not quite ready."

Dom's eyes widened in surprise. "Were you going to get frisky in my sister's flat?"

Rose turned bright red and nearly dropped the food she was carrying. "No!" she insisted as she set their snacks on the coffee table in front of Dom. "We're definitely not ready for that yet. But it felt like there was pressure for it to be… I don't know, more? Than it normally is. We've hung out one-on-one before, but never quite so intentionally as we were going to tonight."

Dom smirked at her cousin as she resumed her previous seat. "I take it things are going well, then."

Rose didn't even have to answer. Her grin as she waved her wand and bowls and spoons zoomed out from the kitchen spoke for itself. "Pretty great, yeah. But I thought we were going to talk about you?"

All of her momentarily forgotten troubles came screaming back to the forefront of Dom's mind. She let out a groan of frustration as Rose started dishing up some ice cream. "Are you any good at relationship advice?"

Rose's eyebrows arched in surprise. "This is about you and Ly?"

"Maybe," said Dom, letting out another frustrated groan. "I just don't know what we are, even though we've sort of said we're together. But we're not, exactly. There was only the one time either of us ever said a word about it. He doesn't bring it up. Then again, neither do I, but I was the one who told everyone we were together. Shouldn't he be the one to say something to me? Maybe clear the air a bit? Or, I don't know, actually ask me out?!"

She'd grown frustrated as she spoke, standing to pace back and forth in front of the couch with her arms crossed. "I thought I was okay with things the way they were. It was easy and simple and uncomplicated, but now it's a whole shit load of complicated, and I feel like we're in way too deep to do this in a way that's not complicated, you know? I have no fucking clue what to say to him. I can't just straight up tell him that I want to be with him for real, can I? He'll think I've gone mad."

"Why?" asked Rose. "Did you two agree that it wasn't a possibility?"

"No," Dom said with a huff. "I don't know. We said we were just going to see where things go, and they've gone a whole lot of bloody nowhere. I thought I'd be okay with that. Sure he's damn fit and a hell of a snog, but he's got practically no relationship experience. Not that I have any either, but he really has no clue what he's doing, despite the fact that he's surrounded by some very healthy relationships. It's like he refuses to learn anything. And he spends his day working on bloody jokes! Not that I'm knocking Uncle George's business, but while he and Fred seem to really have a passion for what they do, Ly almost seems like he's just doing it for a laugh and for something to do. It's like he's got no motivation. Then again, I can't seem to get off my arse and make something of my life, so maybe we're perfect for each other.

"Did I tell you my dad offered to get me a job at Gringotts after school? Vic offered to help find me something in her department as well. I turned them both down because I didn't want to be handed anything. I wanted to be able to accomplish things on my own and not just ride on the success of my family. Well it looks like I got what I wanted because everywhere I turn, things look like they're going to take a lot of fucking work. And I managed to make things even more complicated for myself by falling for a bloke who wouldn't know how to handle a real relationship if his life depended on it."

Dom gave a huff, stopping in front of the coffee table and noticing the bowl of ice cream Rose had dished up for her. She picked it up and shoved a spoonful into her mouth, her eyes going to Rose sitting with her legs folded up in her chair and a bowl of ice cream in her hands as she watched Dominique intently.

"I'm not quite sure I got all of that," Rose said slowly, "but what I'm gathering is that you two need to have a conversation."

"It's not that easy," Dom said through her ice cream. "He's always taking the mickey out of James whenever he gets all sappy about Violet, and did you know Fred likes Eva?"

Rose's eyes widened in surprise and a bit of confusion. "I'd heard that he might. Has that gotten out now?"

"I just found out a few weeks ago on accident," said Dom, resuming her seat on the couch and taking another bite of her ice cream. "And the worst part about the whole thing was Ly telling him not to ask her out because did he really want to spend the summer with a girlfriend?"

Rose's jaw dropped in outrage. "And you were in the room?"

Dom nodded. "Thankfully, Fred didn't immediately agree and even looked at me a bit apologetically. It's like he's emotionally unable to fathom two people actually caring about each other enough for all the trouble to be worth it."

"But you said the two of you were together," said Rose in confusion. "Over Easter. And he seemed to agree with you. What happened?"

"Nothing!" Dom nearly shouted. "Nothing has changed, and that's the problem."

She huffed and sunk back into the couch, devouring her ice cream as she stewed and Rose sat in contemplative silence.

"You really want to be with him, don't you?" Rose finally asked. That was the question Dom had been avoiding most. Because she felt like she knew the answer, and admitting it would mean that things would have to change.

Despite the fact that she'd just said he was lazily and immature, she new that a lot of that was for show. He really did care about the work he did. And it wasn't all just jokes and for laughs. He and Fred were doing some truly impressive magic and developing some wonderful gadgets. They'd actually finally saved up enough to open their own shop and were in the process of looking for an empty store front. She was honestly quite proud of them, so it was mostly her frustrations about their relationship or lack thereof that had her so worked up. It was also possible that she was jealous he'd figured out what he wanted to do with his life.

And on top off all this, it scared her how much she'd come to care for him. It had been a complete surprise to her when she'd initially realized part of her fancied him at least a little bit. Sure she enjoyed spending time with him and when pressed would admit he was easy on the eyes, but there'd been nothing else there. No real desire to catch his attention or become more than friends.

And then they'd gone and snogged the living daylights out of each other at Christmas, and suddenly he was all she could really think about. She could honestly say that she'd had some of the most fun and simply enjoyable times of her life since that fateful day, whether they were having a laugh with Fred or snogging on the couch in his flat or just simply spending time together. It was almost like laughter was always a second away whenever she was with Lysander. Not just because he had a brilliant sense of humor, but because she truly found joy in his presence.

It hadn't really hit her how much she wanted them to actually be well and truly together until he'd made that comment about dating to Fred. While they hadn't talked about where they stood in regards to their relationship, she thought it was at least pretty obvious that they were something of an item. Fred obviously thought so, based on his reaction to his friend's comments. Did he really not see things that way?

Rather than getting swallowed up in doubts and self pity, she'd resorted to frustration and anger, which had driven her to find a way out of this mess, which had landed her on her sister's doorstep, still trying to figure out what it was exactly that she wanted now.

So, rather than give Rose a straightforward answer about whether or not she wanted to be with Lysander Scamander, she allowed her frustrations to fuel her response. "I want him to grow up! Then maybe I'll see about giving him a chance with me."

Rose didn't seem convinced by her words, and Dom couldn't blame her. Her cousin probably knew her well enough to spot the glaringly obvious insecurities she was working desperately to squash. Better yet, avoid altogether.

"All right," said Rose with a long suffering sigh. "Let's do pros and cons. What could happen if you decide to confront him about your feelings?"

"I never said I had feelings," Dom was quick to respond, but she gave a sigh of surrender when Rose looked at her pointedly. "Fine. I suppose the worst that could happen is that he doesn't feel the same. And that he doesn't even want to be my friend anymore. It would also be horrible if he fancied someone else instead, though I haven't really seen him around any other girls. He's usually either with me or Fred or James or his brother."

She sat in contemplative silence for a moment, all the horrible outcomes that had flashed across her mind over the last few weeks coming into sharp relief.

"I suppose it would also be bad if he wanted to keep things the way they are," she continued. "I'm not sure how much longer I could handle that. He could get angry, too. What if I bring it up and he's all like 'why did you have to go and fuck it all up? Things were fine the way they were!' And then we're still not together and he's not even speaking to me. Or, we actually do decide to make things all neat and tidy and official but we can't handle the pressure so we break up, or we break up for some other reason. Then it's well and truly a mess."

Dom fell silent once again, thinking about how truly devastated she'd be if she lost him for good. It didn't seem like it was worth the risk to rock the boat.

"Okay, so those are the cons," Rose said patiently. "What about the pros? What do you see possibly happening that would be a good thing?"

Against her will, the beginnings of a smile began to appear on Dom's face as images of what she wanted popped into her mind, but she cleared her throat and forced herself to think rationally. "Well, there's always the possibility of things ending either way, but I suppose there's always the chance that he wants to be with me too, though I don't know why he's never said anything if that's the case. But, yeah… if he felt the same way I do, I guess that would be all right."

Her face was warm as she mumbled out the last few words, avoiding Rose's knowing smile.

"You know, I put off confronting my feelings for Scorpius for a long time because I was afraid of the same things you are," said Rose. "He was too."

Dom perked up a bit at this. She hadn't really heard much about how Rose and Scorpius had gotten together, other than that it had happened around Easter and that it was about bloody time.

"We both sort of let the fear of whether or not it was the right time or whether it would work out at all keep us from acting on our feelings sooner," Rose continued. "And while I think things worked out right when they were supposed to, there's always going to be a part of me that wishes I'd been brave sooner."

Dom let her cousin's words sink in, realizing that, if things were going to be painful, putting them off would only serve to make it hurt worse when she was inevitably disappointed. But on the off chance that things could actually work out? Why would she want to put that off?

All the positive outcomes that she hadn't let herself truly consider possible started flooding her mind, and she knew there was no way she could just let things keep going the way they were much longer. Not if there was a possibility that she could actually have something she wanted.

* * *

Lysander woke to a pounding on his bedroom door, accompanied by a feminine voice calling his name. In his groggy state, his first thought was that he was back home and it was his mother trying to wake him up, but then he'd never known her to pound on a door in her life.

The pounding sounded again and he let out a groan, lifting his head off the pillow and squinting at the sun coming in through the window. He glanced over to Fred's empty bed, remembering it was Saturday and Fred would be at work.

"Decent or not, I'll come in there if you don't get your arse out of bed!" came a holler from the other side of the door. Now more awake, Lysander was able to recognize it immediately, and a mix of affection and annoyance filled him.

He sat fully up on the mattress he'd been occupying on Fred's floor, yawning and running his hand through his sleep tousled hair. It was growing long and was most likely due for a cut, but he'd always thought about growing it out, and if the way she gripped it when they kissed was any indication, he had a feeling Dom was a fan as well.

Speaking of whom…

Lysander started a bit in surprise when the door flew open and a determined Dominique Weasley marched in. She wore athletic shorts and a T-shirt and had her hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. Even in such a casual state and with a slight scowl on her face, Lysander was struck by how beautiful she was.

"Morning, love," he said cheerfully. "Here to join me?"

Dom rolled her eyes, a faint pink appearing on her cheeks. He couldn't help noticing that she was having a hard time keeping her eyes away from his bare chest.

"You wish," she was finally able to counter, smirking slightly. He did wish.

While things between them had started rather abruptly, the progression had been steady, as far as his feelings were concerned. Because he was fully aware by now that he had real feelings for Dominique. She was fierce and kind and beautiful and mischievous. It was strange to suddenly feel a certain way about someone you'd known your whole life, so he'd been in a bit of denial at first, but he'd started to come around to the idea a bit more in recent weeks. Especially since Easter. She was his girlfriend, after all. It would probably be a good idea to actually acknowledge the fact that he fancied her a great deal.

He hadn't seen her much the past few weeks. Not since he'd let slip in front of her that Fred fancied Eva. It was actually the conversation he'd had with Fred after she'd left that night that had allowed him to fully embrace how he felt about Dominique Weasley.

"Well, if that's not why you're here, to what do I owe the pleasure of a rather abrasive awakening?" he asked through a yawn, rubbing at his tired eyes.

"You're weird in the morning," said Dom with a slightly concerned expression.

"How so?" he asked, flinging off his covers and standing and stretching, realizing a bit too late that he was only in his boxers and that Dom was still watching him.

"You…er… don't normally talk like that," she said, her eyes avoiding him as he grabbed a pair of sweatpants off the floor by his mattress. "I was expecting more of a 'what the fuck do you want?' type of greeting."

Lysander chuckled as he pulled on his pants and looked around for a T-shirt. "Would you prefer those type of morning greetings?" he asked. "Cause I can do my best to oblige."

He caught a glimpse of her rolling her eyes before he pulled the shirt he'd found on the top of the dresser over his head. "You're such a slob," she said with an annoyed tinge to her voice, though he could tell she was a bit amused as well.

"Seriously, though," he said as he walked towards her. "Did we have plans I forgot about?"

Dom shook her head, turning and walking back out into the sitting room before he could reach her. Slightly concerned by the somewhat cold shoulder, he followed her, noting that the clock above the fireplace showed it was just after ten and that they had the flat to themselves. James was spending most nights at Violet's these days.

"Have you eaten?" he asked as he headed for the kitchen, hoping to lessen the tension he could feel pouring off of her, even though he didn't know the source of it.

"I'm not hungry," she said from behind him, not fully answering his question. He tried to ignore the slight coldness to her tone, doing his best to act like everything was normal as he grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry. Because as far as he was concerned, everything was fine. Wasn't it?

He was encouraged when she came and sat at the table in the kitchen. After pouring his cereal into a bowl, he joined her.

"I'll never understand why you do that," Dom said with a nod towards his breakfast. "It's a crime not to use milk."

"You do realize that humans are the only species that drink milk into their adult years?" he pointed out through a mouthful of dry cereal. "And it's not even our own milk."

Dom scrunched her face up at his words, obviously not wanting to think too much about the accuracy of them. "Whatever," she said. "It's still weird."

He chuckled before taking another bite. She sat there silently, her gaze becoming a bit clouded as she zoned out on his bowl.

"Hey," he said, ducking his head to catch her eyes. "Everything all right?"

He was starting to grow concerned. In all the years he'd known her, Dom had never been one to let much get to her. If something was truly upsetting her, she'd get mad and probably yell a little bit. But this quiet uncertainty and distress was new. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

"No," she eventually said with a sigh, placing her clasped hands on the table and focusing her attention on them rather than him. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I think it's about time we sort this out."

Lysander paused in his chewing. He stared at her in surprise and a bit of fear, but she kept her gaze down. A knot formed in his stomach as he willed himself to finish chewing and swallow.

"All right," he said in what was probably a bit too harsh of a tone. That usually happened when he was nervous. Since that moment in the Potters' kitchen on Christmas Eve, they hadn't openly discussed their relationship, aside from her telling everyone they were together over Easter. He knew this conversation would have to happen eventually. So, assuming she knew exactly what she wanted to say, he waited.

"I just don't think this is working for me anymore," she finally said, her voice stronger than it had been before, though she continued to avoid looking him in the eye, her gaze going to his shoulder instead. Lysander felt what he assumed must be his heart dropping down into his stomach to join the knot that had formed there. She was done. She wanted out.

"Okay," he managed, his tone coming out more indifferent than he actually felt. "Can I ask why?"

"Come on," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Did you really think I'd be okay with this long term?"

Lysander tried not to let the sting of her words show. Part of him had worried that she'd get bored of him one day, or realize that he just might not be good enough for her, but it still hurt to hear, no matter how much he might have expected it.

"Right, yeah," he said with a sigh, taking a few more bites of his cereal.

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked a bit indignantly after they'd sat in silence for a few moments while he finished his breakfast.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" he asked, growing a bit annoyed. "I'm sorry it wasn't enough for you? I'm sorry I'm not enough for you? Hope you find what you're looking for?"

He kept his face as impassive as possible as all the color drained from hers. There was a flash of vulnerability and hurt before she hardened her features and flattened her palms against the table.

"You're not even going to make an effort or try and make me change my mind?" she asked, a combination of outraged and confused.

"Why would I?" he said with a shrug. "You've obviously made up your mind. I've never known you to change it before, so it's not like it would do any good."

"So, that's it?" she asked, standing and practically shaking with a rage that Lysander was having a hard time identifying the source of. "You're just going to let me walk out of here and throw all of this away?"

"You're the one throwing it all away," he said, standing to face her as his own frustrations began to mount. "You just said you didn't want this anymore."

"I don't!" she yelled. "But it's obvious what I do want is so far outside the realm of possibility for you, that you haven't even stopped to consider it!"

Now Lysander was well and truly confused. "What the fuck does that mean? You want out, so you're out. Fine. It's done. No need to drag it out. Is that not good enough for you? Want me to say 'no worries, we'll still be mates, no hard feelings'?"

"That's not what I want, damn it!" she snapped at him, and he was shocked to see her eyes grow wet with unshed tears. If possible, the weight in his stomach that could only be described as severe emotional pain grew stronger.

"Fine," he practically growled at her. "You don't want to be a part of my life, you don't have to be."

"What?" she asked, obviously shocked by his words.

"Wait, no, I take it back," he said, unable to stop the anger growing in him that was masking his hurt. "You don't get to be."

Before he could even register what was happening, he felt a sharp sting across his cheek and a loud smack ring out in the nearly empty flat. He stood there, stunned, realizing she'd slapped him as he lifted a hand to his burning face. And then she was speaking again.

"I can't believe I fell for you, you fucking bastard," she said, the words harsh yet soft as she held back tears. Lysander only had a moment to try and register what she'd said before she was storming towards the front door.

Fell for him? Fell for him? Fell for him?

"Dom, wait," he said a bit breathlessly, hurrying to follow after her as she quickly reached the door. She whirled around and glared at him, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"I thought we weren't a part of each other's lives anymore," she snapped at him. "Don't talk to me, don't even bloody think about me, and stay the hell away you insufferable arse!"

Her voice had risen as she spoke, the final words coming out as a shriek. And then she'd pulled open the door and was storming out, and he hadn't missed the tears on her face. Not knowing how he could even possibly begin to fix the mess he'd just made or how exactly it even happened in the first place, he went after her, making it into the hall and calling her name just as he saw her disappear down the stairs.

"Bloody fucking hell," he hissed out, barely noticing that there were other people in the hall before going back in the flat and slamming the door shut behind him. Overwhelmed and unable to fully process or even comprehend all the emotions flowing through him, he braced his hands on the top of his head, breathing deeply and trying to calm down.

She'd just said she'd fallen for him. Just like he'd fallen for her. He'd thought she wanted out. He'd thought she was done with him. How had he gotten that wrong?

Pain shot through him as he realized how likely it was he had completely screwed things up beyond repair, and that he just might have lost someone who meant more to him than he'd previously been willing to admit.

He closed his eyes tightly shut, his body beginning to tremble, his heart rate speeding up and his breath coming in sharp, painful bursts as he was unable to comprehend the fact that there was an actual tear running down his cheek.


	27. Feel - Dominique

**A/N: This chapter takes place during chapter 5 of _Leap of Faith._**

* * *

\- _Dominique -_

It had been what felt like the longest twenty-four hours of Dominique Weasley's life.

After confronting Lysander the day before, she'd gone home, shut herself in her bedroom, and ignored everyone's attempts to get her to come out. Even Victoire had stopped by and been ignored.

Dom only reluctantly emerged when it was time to head to her shift the next morning. As she wiped down the bar at the Leaky Cauldron, her eyes felt heavy from tears and lack of sleep.

She hadn't expected Lysander to be so incredibly unfeeling about the whole thing. Sure, she'd always known that he didn't show his emotions well, but the flatness of his tone when he'd let her down - and the fact that he hadn't even suggested a solution other than ending things - had made her blood run cold. Was it really so unfathomable to think that they could be more than what they were? Was it really either how things already were, or nothing?

At first, she'd felt only the sting of rejection and the pain that accompanied it, along with regret that she'd said anything in the first place. Her ensuing anger had come quickly once she'd overcome the initial emotional shock, fully mingling with the hurt she felt and creating a pain that she wanted desperately to be gone. But she couldn't see that happening any time soon. Not if things were to stay as they were.

Not that she wanted to fix things with him either. He'd practically told her he wanted nothing to do with her. If that's the way he was going to be about it, then fine. She was actually starting to come around to the idea of never speaking to him again.

Except she wasn't. She didn't think she'd ever be okay with that.

Thoughts of Lysander were so much in the forefront of Dominique's mind that - for a split second - she thought she'd actually made him appear when a young, blond wizard walked through the door of the Leaky Cauldron. She felt momentary panic, rage, and heartache before she realized it wasn't Lysander, but his twin brother.

Dom had a few moments to prepare herself as Lorcan glanced around the pub. She sniffed and cleared her throat, knowing her hours of crying from the day before would make it sound like she had a cold and wishing she had time to fix the mess that was her hair. While it was pulled back in a ponytail, it hadn't been combed and wasn't very well contained.

By now, Lorcan has spotted her and was making his way towards the bar, his hands in his trouser pockets and a rather somber look on his face.

"Can I get you anything?" Dom asked with forced cheerfulness when he reached the bar.

"Just a coffee, thanks," he said as he took a seat. Dom took her time getting his drink, wanting to delay any type of opportunity for a conversation. Lorcan wasn't the meddling type, and it was entirely possible he didn't know anything, but she wasn't eager to find out. She wasn't sure what would be worse; Lysander's brother knowing everything, or being completely clueless.

"Thanks," he said when she placed his drink in front of him. He took a sip, and Dom just stood there, watching him uncertainly. She could just walk away, but the normal Dom would stay and chat for a bit. And she didn't want to appear rude. Especially if he had no clue what had happened between her and his brother.

"How're you holding up?" Lorcan asked sympathetically, completely dismissing any hope or dread Dom might have had of him not knowing.

"I'm fine," she said a bit shortly, fighting against embarrassment as she resumed her task of wiping down the bar. She didn't want the twin of the boy she'd just been rejected by seeing her heartbroken because of his stupid brother.

"He told me what happened," said Lorcan, and Dom's face immediately grew hot under his far too knowledgeable gaze.

"Are you here to tell me how silly it was of me to even go near him in the first place?" she asked a bit testily. "Because I already know that."

"No," said Lorcan patiently. "I'm here because I don't think I've ever seen my brother in worse shape than I found him yesterday."

Dom couldn't help but stop in her task of fiercely scrubbing the bar at his words. She'd been under the impression that Lysander was perfectly fine, while she had dissolved into an emotional mess. But now, Lorcan was saying that Lysander was decidedly not fine. And Lorcan wasn't the type of person to exaggerate.

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly, curious despite her determination to remain indifferent.

"I mean he's a mess, Dom," Lorcan said sincerely. He was watching her intently, but Dom had no clue what to say. He heaved a heavy sigh before continuing.

"Look, I'm only telling you this because I know you care about him, and it's obvious to me that he cares a hell of a lot about you. He might threaten to kill me for telling you any of this, but he said you told him to stay out of your life, and he seems resigned to let you have your way. I'm not normally one to insert myself into people's personal lives, but he's my twin brother, so his happiness is pretty important to me. And I'm pretty sure you're a vital part of that at the moment, so I think there are a couple of things you should know."

He paused, his eyes seeking permission to continue. Unable to stop herself as his words rang in her ears, Dom nodded.

"When we were kids," Lorcan began, "Lysander started to have these panic attacks."

Dom's brow furrowed in confusion and reluctant concern. "Panic attacks? What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that his heart would start racing, he'd have trouble breathing, start shaking, and eventually end up incapacitated," said Lorcan. "I'd find him curled up in a ball on his bed or on the floor in the bathroom, unable to calm himself down. Sometimes there would be something that obviously triggered it, but when it got really bad, we couldn't always tell what had done it. One minute he'd be fine, and the next, he wasn't."

As he fell silent, Dom could see in Lorcan's eyes that he was reliving moments that had truly terrified him, his eyes staring past her a bit blanky. Dom waited patiently, not entirely sure yet why he was telling her all this, but realizing he must think it important to do so.

"Eventually, it got so bad that it was happening just about every day," Lorcan continued. "And you know how my mum is. She wanted to figure out a way to help him without having to rely on medicine or anything like that. Dad finally managed to talk her into taking him to a Mind Healer, and he started having appointments multiple times a week. It helped, eventually, but it wasn't until after our fifth year that they stopped completely."

"They were happening at school?" Dom asked in shock. Lorcan nodded.

"No one really knew except the boys in our dorm and Madam Pomfrey, and they were understanding enough to keep things quiet. I think Ly was actually relieved we weren't sorted into the same house as Fred and James, no matter how much he might have complained about not getting to share a dorm with them."

"They don't know?" asked Dom, surprised once again.

"They do now," said Lorcan, "since he had one yesterday for the first time in over four years."

Dominique's heart dropped into her stomach as images of Lysander - completely vulnerable and in pain - flashed before her eyes. She didn't ever want to have to see him like that.

"Is he all right?" she couldn't help asking. "Do you know what triggered it?"

"He's coping," said Lorcan. "And, usually, the things that triggered it in the past always had to do with emotional distress. We went to a Muggle primary school when we were little and endured quite a bit of bullying. Both of us. For some reason, he handled it a lot worse than I did. That's when it all started. He never really told me what they talked about in his sessions with the Healer, but he was always a bit emotionally erratic as a kid. He still is, in ways, but as far as truly feeling things goes, I think he shut that part of himself off awhile ago. To protect himself."

Despite the fact that she was still angry with Lysander and couldn't quite bring herself to forget what he'd said to her, she felt pain on his behalf. And it made what had happened yesterday make a bit more sense. He'd made himself emotionally unavailable in order to protect himself from hurting again. Except…

"But," she began hesitantly, "you said he had a panic attack yesterday. What happened?"

Surprisingly, Lorcan gave her a small smile. "You did, Dom."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that he let you in enough that the thought of losing you forever caused him an incredible amount of emotional distress," said Lorcan patiently. "Based on what I've been able to work out as far as timing goes, it happened right after your argument, and he was still pretty worked up by the time I found him an hour later."

"But…" Dom began, pausing uncertainly, not wanting to be insensitive but also still a bit lost. "I don't understand. He was all about ending things. And before I told him to stay out of my life, he told _me_ to stay out of _his._ This doesn't make sense."

"Ah," said Lorcan, fidgeting a bit uncomfortably after taking another sip of his coffee. "It seems you two aren't the best at communicating."

Dom took slight offense to this, but she also knew he probably had a point. It wasn't like they'd actually talked about anything before yesterday, and look how well that turned out.

"He said you said something about falling for him?" Lorcan continued, and Dom felt her face heating up with embarrassment.

"I might have said something like that," she grumbled. "Not that I really meant it."

"You mean you _don't_ have feelings for him?" asked Lorcan, appearing apprehensive as he waited for her answer.

"I…" she began nervously, wanting to answer him honestly. But then she remembered she was supposed to be angry with Lysander. "It doesn't matter whether I do or not. He made it pretty clear he doesn't feel the same."

Lorcan sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair that was cut shorter than his brother's, showing the first signs of frustration. "It _does_ matter," he insisted. "Look, I can't be the one to explain how things got so screwed up because I'm not even entirely sure what type of understanding you two had, but I do know that my brother worked himself into a state because he cares about you very much and thinks that he's lost you for good. So, if you _do_ care about him the way he cares about you, I think you should go talk to him."

"Lor, he said he didn't want me in his life _before_ I said anything about wanting nothing to do with him," Dom pointed out again, working desperately not to get her hopes up.

"I know," he said. "I also know that he said something to me about thinking you wanted out. It doesn't excuse whatever he said to you, but he was probably protecting himself like he usually does. If you really do have feelings for him like you implied, he had no idea how you really felt until you were storming away."

Dom looked at him skeptically. Could they possibly have had this big of a misunderstanding?

"Look, I decided to come talk to you because I think you've become an important part of his life," Lorcan continued. "Take it from someone who knows Ly as well as anyone has ever been able to. He cares about you. Hell, he probably even loves you in some way or another. There's no way he doesn't want you in his life."

Lorcan finished off his coffee before preparing to leave. Dom stared after him as he gave her a nod in farewell, stood, and left the pub, her mind working overtime as she tried to process everything she'd just learned.

She didn't want to give Lysander the opportunity to hurt her again. The thought of doing so terrified her. It would be easier to just stay away, protect herself from the possibility of being let down. If she didn't put herself in a vulnerable position, she'd never have to fear getting hurt.

As miserable as she knew it would make her, she'd almost resolved to stay stubbornly away. But then the voice in her head that she swore belonged to her mother reminded her of something she'd been told by the same woman her whole life.

 _The most beautiful things in life may not come easy, but they are most definitely worth it._

Dom's heart clenched in fear. She wasn't very good at risking things. Herself in particular. Some Gryffindor she turned out to be.

The thought made her grow frustrated. She'd always prided herself on being fearless and maybe even a bit reckless at times, causing some trouble at school and doing things her parents probably wouldn't approve of. But she wasn't. She'd completely proven herself wrong.

She couldn't think of one risk she'd taken that actually meant something.

Dom was still frozen by fear. What if Lorcan was wrong? As much as she trusted him, how could he possibly know how his brother would respond to seeing her? Maybe he was able to quickly get over whatever had caused him so much distress the day before. Maybe he blamed her for what happened. Maybe he really _did_ care for her but had changed his mind.

 _Maybe you have no clue what's going to happen. But maybe that's okay._

Okay. That one sounded suspiciously like her grandmother.

As scared as she was, Dom realized she was even more terrified of _not_ trying. Because what if she missed out on something that could turn out to be exactly what she wanted?

With a resigned and fortifying sigh, she tossed the rag she'd been using to wipe down the bar into a basket underneath it, scanning the room to find Hannah. If she was going to do this, she couldn't afford to put it off. She had complete faith in herself to talk herself out of it if she waited even ten minutes.

"Hannah?" she asked as she approached the landlady, who was shuffling through a stack of papers at a table by the front. Hannah glanced up, peering over the reading glasses that sat on her nose.

"Ah, good!" she said cheerfully. "I was meaning to find you and talk to you about a couple things today."

She indicated the other chair at her table, which Dominique sat in, a bit flustered and momentarily forgetting her original purpose in coming over.

"Firstly, I was approached by a witch last night who simply loved your raspberry tarts," Hannah began, setting aside whatever she was working on and taking off her glasses. "Of course, we get compliments all the time on your pastries so it wasn't a surprise, but then she told me that she runs a bakery and was interested in talking to the baker."

Dom sat in stunned silence for a moment. "Did she say why?"

Hannah shook her head. "She left her name and I told her I'd have you owl her."

Dom took the piece of parchment Hannah handed her, the name Lucinda Tartwell scrawled elegantly across it along with an address. Her eyebrows rose in amusement.

"Tartwell?" she asked Hannah in amusement. "Do you think that's really her name?"

Hannah chuckled. "I hope so. Anyway, before I get to my other thing, was there something you needed?"

"Yes," said Dom, bringing herself back to her original reason for approaching Hannah. "Do you mind if I take my break early?"

Hannah arched a curious brow at her before checking her watch. "You've only been here an hour. Is everything all right?"

Dom sighed at the question that was far more loaded than Hannah knew. "Not exactly."

"Okay," said Hannah, as understanding as ever. "We're not too busy. Take your time, but try to be back by noon."

Dom managed a grateful smile, despite the heightened nerves running through her. "Thanks. What was the other thing you wanted to talk about?"

Hannah waved her off with an understanding smile. "It can wait. You seem to have enough on your mind already."

With a final thank you and without giving herself a chance to second guess what she was about to do, Dom left the inn, pausing only to make sure she had her wand before walking out into Diagon Alley. She knew Lysander was working today. They both worked most Sundays, usually meeting up for lunch on their breaks. With a sense of purpose, Dom made her way towards Weasley Wizard Wheezes, preparing to brave the crowd within once she reached the brightly colored shop.

Hogwarts students home for the summer filled the store, forcing Dom to squeeze between people and shelves and displays, her pulse racing and her mind filled with uncertainty and doubt that she was doing the right thing. She had a few more moments of internal panic and second guessing herself before she finally reached the register, only to find Fred standing there instead of Lysander.

He didn't notice his cousin right away, who'd frozen a few feet from the counter while Fred helped a young wizard and his father with a purchase. As soon as they were gone, his eyes scanned the crowd, widening a bit when they landed on Dominique.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" he asked as she approached the counter.

"I'm taking my break early," she explained. "But you're one to talk. I thought you worked Saturdays and Ly worked Sundays. Did you switch?"

"No," said Fred, growing a bit more somber at her words. "And not that it's any of your business, but I'm just covering for him today."

"Why?" she asked immediately, and Fred let out a frustrated sigh.

"Why do you care?"

"Freddie, come on," she said with a sigh. "Just tell me if he's okay."

"Look, I'm not playing middleman for the two of you," he said, looking at her with cold eyes. "And I'm especially not spying on him for you. If you want to know how he's doing, ask him yourself."

Dom was forced to step to the side as another customer approached. Fred quickly rang them out, and Dom moved to stand in front of him again once they were gone.

"He's not well, is he?" she asked, fully growing concerned for the first time since Lorcan had shown up at the Leaky that morning.

"No," said Fred harshly. "He's not."

Dom grew annoyed under his judgmental stare. "This isn't all my fault, Freddie. Neither of us handled this well."

"Obviously," he said with a scoff. Dom narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is he back at the flat?"

Fred didn't answer right away, watching her calculatingly. Dom growled in frustration and gripped the counter.

"Please, Fred," she nearly hissed at him. "Imagine if someone you really cared about was having a rough time and you were partly to blame? What if you really wanted to help but I wouldn't let you? What if it were Eva?"

Fred scowled at her, his face flushing. It might have been a bit of a dirty move to bring her best friend and the girl Fred fancied into it, but she was desperate.

"Fine," Fred finally said through gritted teeth. "Yeah, he's at home. Just don't go over there unless you intend to actually do him good rather than cause him more pain."

Strangely uplifted by Fred's words, Dom nodded, even managing an encouraging smile that had Fred relaxing slightly. Before either of them could say anything else, she turned and hurried out of the shop, ducking into a side alley as soon as she could before Disapperating, immediately reappearing behind the building where Lysander lived.

Her feet carried her without her mind giving them much of an indication of what to do. She was growing more determined to finally get to the bottom of things with each step, and by the time she reached their front door, she was so filled with resolve that she only gave a quick knock before letting herself in, having been magically granted access to do so the previous summer after she left Hogwarts.

The sitting room was in its usual state; a few pairs of shoes and some jackets lying around as well as some empty butterbeer bottles and glasses. A half eaten bag of crisps was sitting on the end table by one of the couches, and she recognized it as the kind she normally saw Lysander eating. She didn't even spare a glance at the usual boxes full of shop materials surrounding Fred's desk in the corner.

With a deep breath to steady herself, Dom slowly began making her way down the hall, stopping in her tracks when she heard a sigh that was quickly followed by a strained and muffled voice.

"I'm fine, Mum!" Lysander hollered from the room he shared with Fred. "Whatever Lor told you, he's exaggerating!"

She didn't respond, gulping nervously now that she'd heard his voice as she willed herself to move the last few feet towards his slightly cracked door. With a shaky hand, she pushed it open, hearing his sigh accompanied by the sound of rustling sheets as he came into view.

"Mum, really. I'm-"

Lysander stopped short at the sight of her, having rolled over onto his back and propped himself up on his hands. His hair was marvelously disheveled, his blond locks hanging a bit in his eyes and curling around his ears, even sticking up a little in the back. Despite his hair trying to block them, she could still make out his eyes, bright blue and usually so full of life, but now red rimmed with dark bags under them. He was wearing an old Ravenclaw t-shirt that she'd seen him in more times than she could count and was a bit stretched out at the collar.

Despite everything else that was going on between them, Dominique's heart simultaneously broke and swelled at the sight of him. She stood there, staring silently at him as he took her in as well, probably noticing her unkempt hair and tired eyes. She reckoned she didn't look any better off than he did.

It was deafeningly quiet for what felt like an eternity, before Lysander let out a rather despondent sounding, "Oh."

Before she had time to so much as open her mouth, he'd turned back over and buried his face in his pillow, his arms wrapped tightly around it.

"Ly?" she said, the step she took further into the room matching the hesitancy of her voice. He burrowed further into his pillow, but she could hear him clearly.

"What?" he asked with an annoyed groan. Dom rolled her eyes.

"If you're going to be a baby about this, maybe I shouldn't have bothered," she snapped, crossing her arms and letting out a huff. "Your brother seemed to think you might actually _want_ to see me."

Lysander's head flew off the pillow, his wide-eyed gaze snapping up to her. "What the _hell_ did he say to you?"

Despite the rudeness of the question, there was genuine fear in his tone, and Dom softened at his worried expression. With a sigh, she moved to sit across from him on Fred's bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, partly because she didn't know what else to say, but also because she found she genuinely cared about the answer.

"I'm fine," he said, moving to sit up on the mattress, his feet resting on the floor as he rested his arms on his knees. "See? All fine here."

Dom watched him closely, noticing the way his arms had been a bit shaky as he pushed himself up. "No, you're not. And to be quite honest, I'm not either. Though, from what I hear, I'm not in quite as bad of shape as you."

She was surprised by the scowl that greeted her words. "Are you here to make fun of me?"

"Why would I do that?" she asked in alarm.

"Please," he said with a scoff. "All you Gryffindors mock weakness, and completely falling apart because I can't handle my emotions is about as weak as you get."

Tears welled in Dom's eyes at the shame in his voice. Her heart hurt for him, but she wasn't going to pity him. "That's not fair," she said, her voice shaking with the effort not to cry. "You don't get to judge me just as much as I don't get to judge you. And don't think I don't know what you're doing. I'm sick of the walls you keep putting up to keep people out. So just fucking stop with the attitude and the self-pity and answer me honestly. Why?"

He was clearly surprised by her words, and she was grateful when he didn't argue. He did, however, look at her questioningly. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you tell me about the panic attacks, and why do you think you had one yesterday?"

His eyes widened fearfully, but she tried to convey warmth and encouragement in her gaze. Thankfully, he saw whatever it was he needed to trust her and let out a defeated sigh he lay back down on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling, one of his hands rubbing at his tired eyes as he began to speak in the most honest voice Dom had ever heard him use.

"I was ashamed," he admitted. "I didn't tell anyone, and I made Lor swear to do the same. I sort of always assumed it was the reason I was sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor. I was never really strong enough to handle my emotions as a kid and I don't know how much my brother told you, but he was bullied by some of the other kids in our primary school growing up. We both were, and yeah it bothered me when they ganged up on _me_ , but it killed me to see them being mean to Lorcan. I'd always try to fight back, but he'd just take it. And there was nothing I could do to help him."

Dom nodded in understanding, even though he wasn't looking at her. This slightly different version of their childhood made Lorcan's lack of knowledge on what had been the source of Lysander's struggles make more sense now. She was willing to bet Lysander had never told his brother this part.

"I suppose that's when this whole mess started," he continued, his voice a bit strained as he forced the words out. "I got into a fight at school, and it was made very clear to me afterward how unacceptable that was, so I never did it again, no matter how much I wanted to. Everything would just build up under the surface and I'd be constantly on edge until I snapped. Sometimes when provoked and sometimes for no obvious reason at all. There would be some instances of pretty violent accidental magic as well, so they had to pull me from school. I felt helpless and weak and incapable of doing anything, you know? No matter how much others told me or even I told myself that things were going to be all right, all I saw was how everything could go wrong and my own inability to do anything right."

Dom felt her eyes welling with tears, pain clenching at her heart on his behalf. But his words were coming easier now, like he was relieved to be getting all this off his chest.

"Of course, I didn't realize how any of it tied together until I started going to the Healer," he continued. "And even then, it took awhile. She said that even if it was all the emotional stress in my life that triggered the panic attacks, there was still a physical component to it as well. Chemicals in my brain and whatnot. I used to take a potion to help with all that when things were really bad, but I stopped awhile ago."

"Did it help?" she asked, and Lysander shrugged against the mattress noncommittally.

"Yeah, but I never really liked the way it made me feel. A lot of those thoughts and things went away so I was able to cope better, but it just made me feel numb. Yeah, I liked not having to deal with all of it, but it made me feel even less in control, if that makes sense. It did help enough that once we got to Hogwarts everything was mostly under control, but not entirely. I really didn't want to keep taking the potion, so it got to the point where I realized life would be easier if I just didn't bother with emotions at all, so I shut most of that off, only really leaving on the smallest amount in order to function on a daily basis, but never enough to form true attachments to anything or anyone. I'd gotten the idea in my head that that was where the root of the problem lay, so best to just be done with all that."

He paused, his eyes staring unseeingly up at his ceiling.

"I'm guessing that didn't work," said Dom, regretting the words the moment after she'd said them. But he surprised her by smiling slightly.

"No," he said. "It didn't. And I wasn't as emotionally detached as I thought I was. Especially not this past year."

He paused again, and Dom knew that this was the part where she came into the picture. His expression had turned somber, so she gathered the courage that his honesty had given her and stood to move towards his mattress. He looked up at her questioningly, his eyes showing surprise as she sat next to him, her legs stretched out on the floor in front of her.

"Do you think you need to go back to a Healer?" she asked softly. He sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"I really don't want to," he mumbled.

"I know," said Dom. "But if you think it'll help, there's no reason to be ashamed of it. None of us will judge you for doing what's best for you, you know that, right?"

Lysander took a deep breath, letting it out shakily as he ran his hands up his face and into his hair. "I know," he said softly, his eyes tentatively meeting hers. "I'm sorry I was never honest with any of you."

"I'm sorry too," she said softly. "That you've had to deal with all that."

He shrugged his shoulders, directing his gaze back to the ceiling. "It's all right. I've mostly managed to handle it on my own."

"But you don't have to," Dom insisted, and she was relieved to see a grateful look replace his usual stubborn one.

"Thanks," he mumbled, still not looking at her even as a smile threatened to overtake him.

"And I'm sorry for what happened yesterday," said Dom, nervous to bring it up but determined to all the same. Lysander grimaced and glanced at her.

"I'm sorry about that as well. I sort of let my emotions get the better of me. For the first time in a while."

They sat in silence that was slightly more comfortable than it had been before.

"And I'm okay with that," he eventually continued, his tone a bit softer. "I suppose I needed a bit of a wakeup call. And I know it's not just going to make things magically better, but I've learned the whole running from my emotions thing is not only impossible to do, but it makes me treat people like shit. I don't want to do that to people. Especially not…"

He chewed on his lower lip, glancing at her momentarily before looking up at the ceiling again. "I didn't mean what I said," Lysander said in a rush. "I could never want you out of my life."

Dominique stopped breathing for a moment, his continued honesty disarming. This was a completely new side of Lysander that she was shocked yet very pleased to see. One she found she could very much get on board with. She knew he was still the same funny and carefree boy she'd known for most of her life, but there was so much more to him than that. Part of her had always known there was, but she was now really seeing it for the first time. She felt she now knew him much better than she ever had before. He'd been so open and brave. And Dom realized that she wanted to be too. She had to be.

"Yesterday," Dom began slowly, her eyes nervously staying away from his and noticing the way he tensed at the word, "I came over here to be honest with you about my feelings. But it would appear I wasn't very clear."

She hesitated, then met his eyes with her own. Lysander was breathing heavily, his gaze still unsure as he looked up at her. Boldly, still not knowing how her next words were going to be taken, Dom reached out and placed her hand on his chest, right where she thought his heart would be. It was racing. For a moment, she was worried he was going to have another panic attack, but a second after her hand landed on his chest, he let out a deep breath, his heartbeat slowing and his breathing evening out. Like he was accepting what was happening. Accepting the way she made him feel.

"I think you might have been under the impression that, when I said this wasn't working for me anymore, I meant you and me being together at all," she continued. "What I actually meant was...was that I was done not being honest with each other about how we really feel. Done playing games. I know...I know we said we'd play it by ear, and we've done that, but I can't do nothing either. Especially since I've been...well, honestly, I've been slowly falling for you over the last few months. And even though I told everyone we were together when Lily asked, that's not enough for me. I need it to actually be real and not just empty words. I'm sorry if that's too much for you, but I'm tired of being scared and I'm done with not going after the things I want. And I...I want _you_ , Ly. I don't want to never see you again, and I definitely don't want you out of my life."

Dominique hastily wiped away the solitary tear that had managed to escape down her cheek, taking a deep breath and letting it out shakily. She hadn't looked at him while she spoke, her gaze fixed on where her hand still rested on his chest instead.

"And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you're not important or less than you are or not worth my time or effort, because you _are,"_ she continued, a few more tears escaping that she angrily wiped away. "You're brilliant and wonderful and strong and brave and I've been selfish and cowardly and I'm so sorry."

Dom gave a hearty sniff and wiped at her eyes once again, her hand that was still resting on his chest shaking as she waited for him to do or say something. There was a painful pause after she'd finished that seemed to last far longer than the ten seconds it probably did, and then he was slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position, his legs stretching out next to hers and her hand falling off of him and towards the bed. But he caught it in one of his own at the last moment. Her watery eyes flew to his.

Lysander was looking at her with a fierce yet tender gaze, and Dom started a bit in surprise when he reached up with the hand that wasn't holding hers to cup her cheek and wipe away a tear with his thumb.

"Dominique," he said, his voice softly caressing her name. "I can't even begin to tell you how much you've made me feel the exact opposite of not important."

A light laugh of relief escaped Dom, and she gripped the hand that had caught hers tightly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. He was smiling at her now. It was a bit hesitant, but hopeful, and he lifted his hand to tuck some stray hair behind her ear.

"I'm not very good at this," he admitted, his hand now going to join the other one that was holding hers. "Relationships and being vulnerable and letting people in. But I'd like to be. And seeing as how you're one of my best friends, you're as good a person as any to help me figure it all out, if you're game."

Dom's eyes searched his, trying to decipher exactly what he meant. But then any questions she had about his intentions were put to rest by his next words.

"Not to mention the fact that I happen to fancy the pants off you," he said, his eyes now focused on their hands as he gave a shrug that attempted to show indifference but failed miserably, his slightly shaking hands giving him away. "So I wouldn't exactly be opposed to...you know…actually doing this thing for real."

Dom was beaming. And she couldn't help letting out an uncharacteristic giggle that she immediately tried to stifle by covering her mouth with her hand. Lysander looked up at her, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he nervously smiled and waited for her to respond.

"Do you mean that?" she finally asked, lowering her hand slightly so he could see her smile.

"Yeah," he said with a lazy shrug and a much more confident smile than he'd had before. "I know it won't be easy and I'll probably be a right pain to put up with most of the time, but if you'll have me, I'm more than up for making you miserable."

"You could never," she said, surprising both of them with her honesty. "But…" she drew out, her smile turning into a smirk and her hand dropping to his chest, "I wasn't talking about that part. I was talking about how you said you fancy the pants off me?"

Lysander chuckled, the heavy atmosphere lifting as he let go of her hands so he could wrap his arms around her waist. "I figured it was best to be as honest as possible."

"Works for me," Dom said with a smile, thankful that they could quickly fall back into the playfulness that had made things so easy between them in the first place. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer. "Could be a nice change."

Lysander quirked an eyebrow in question. "The not wearing pants part or the honesty thing?"

"Both," she said in mock thoughtfulness. "Though we should probably hold off on that no pants thing until you have a room to yourself and an actual bed."

He let out a groan of frustration and rested his forehead against hers. "James needs to get a move on or I'm likely to throw his arse out of this flat."

Dom laughed. "I'd be more than happy to help with that. Seeing as there's now something in it for me."

"Yeah?" Lysander asked with a coy grin, and before Dom could do much more than nod, he was kissing her, his hands gripping her back and pulling her against him. It knocked the breath out of her in the most beautiful way possible, and as quickly as it started, it ended. But he only pulled away enough to be able to look her in the eye, his gaze incredibly sincere.

"Just so we're clear," he began a bit breathlessly, "you're my girlfriend, I'm your boyfriend, we snog, look into that whole no pants thing, talk about our feelings, and have a hell of a good time. Sound all right?"

With a brilliant smile on her face, Dom nodded, winding her hands up into his hair and placing a soft kiss on his lips. She knew things were far from perfect and they wouldn't be easy, but knowing how much she meant to him and how much he wanted this with her filled her with such a perfect calmness that nothing else seemed to matter. At least not for the time being.

With a sigh, she pulled back and rested her forehead against his, her eyes closed as she whispered her response. "I think that sounds absolutely perfect."

* * *

 **A/N: While this specific topic is not something I have personal experience with, I've seen and known people who do. I hope I was able to portray it well. Mental health isn't a joke and it's not something I ever want to shy away from. If you ever see a problem with how I portray things, feel free to let me know, while also remembering that we all have our own unique experiences.**

 **On a lighter note, I hoped you enjoyed getting to know these characters a little better!**


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